My latest Manhattan Institute report is now available. It's called "Scaling Up: How Superstar Cities Can Grow to New Heights" and it examines the well-known problem of housing costs in coastal superstar cities. I argue that some of these cities simply forgot how to grow during the decades during which they suffered from external constraints (the Depression, World War II), followed by decades of decline. (Even the city of San Francisco lost population for three straight decades). I also explain why the average resident of these cities does … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2020
Heartland Intelligence
There have been some big changes for me. We relocated from New York to Indianapolis, where I'm doing consulting work for the Indy Chamber. I'm no longer full time with the Manhattan Institute but am still a contributing editor at City Journal and still have multiple projects in the works there. I'll continue to write for other publications too, as with my recent Atlantic piece on J. Irwin Miller and Columbus, Indiana. More on my move below. For several years I've published a monthly newsletters on cities that was mostly a roundup of the … [Read more...]
More on Columbus, Indiana
I want to share a few additional thoughts on Columbus, looking at the question of whether things really could have been different in the Rust Belt with different policies. I believe the answer is Yes, with caveats. First, it's undeniable, as I've written many times before, that macroeconomic change drove much of the Rust Belt collapse. Rust Belt challenges spanned many different states, red vs. blue political environments, etc. It's also true that the Columbus model may not have been applicable or worked in the same way elsewhere, … [Read more...]
“Is It Too Late for a Man of Honesty, High Purpose, and Intelligence to Be Elected President of the US in 1968?”
After putting up my post linking to my Atlantic piece on J. Irwin Miller and Columbus, Indiana, I discovered that the Esquire cover story I mentioned is actually online. It's great reading, and I highly recommend it. Keep in mind, Esquire was an important magazine back then. Here are some excerpts: "Wouldn't Irwin Miller be great?" exclaimed the Mayor [John Lindsay], a smile breaking across his face like a wave. "He's one of the great people of this world. He's got insight, humor, wisdom, saltiness. How could we get him to run?" Up to that … [Read more...]