Via an Oregon media outlet, here’s an interesting chart of different US metro areas showing the correlation between “median asking price” and “% growth in housing units.” It comes from an op-ed by an Oregon economist named Timothy Duy. Here you go: In typical supply-and-demand fashion, Duy argues that places that build more housing have […]
I was in Lowertown the other day minding my own business when I saw a sign of the times. A pair of men were parking their SUV in the late afternoon on a street next to the Union Depot. “75 cents? Sure beats the f**k out of $10 bucks at the old place!” he said to his […]
Minneapolis is one City Council vote away from enacting a major, nationally-heralded parking reform, authored by Council Member Lisa Bender. I’ve watched with great interest as the debate has unfolded on Channel 79. To summarize the back-and-forth as uncharitably as possible: utopians on bicycles deployed a slew of crowd-pleasing parking analogies* (1, 2), while some of […]
A belated congratulations to our local soccer team for gaining admission into Major League Soccer. The Minnesota United FC are one of twelve professional sports teams based in the Twin Cities: Minnesota Twins Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Wild St. Paul Saints Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Vixen Minnesota Swarm* Minnesota Machine Minnesota United FC** Minnesota Lady […]
Here’s a chart from the Big Picture, an economics blog, about how slow the construction sector has been to rebound from the 2008 housing crisis. Here’s the take on the data: The relatively weak recovery in construction employment is interesting for at least two reasons: First, construction work is a source of relatively high-wage jobs […]
Walkable communities usually include some small stores. But the economies of scale work against corner grocers, which require long hours for their owners.
Last year I worked with St. Paul Women on Bikes to produce a series of short videos looking at why “We Bicycle St. Paul.” These three videos explore why people bike in St. Paul, what would make riding a bike easier, and the role of bike infrastructure in safety and economic development. Why Bike? (Embedded above.) St. […]
A few weeks ago a post about a business located inside of a single-family house on Grand Ave in St. Paul wanting to expand out to the sidewalk reminded me how much I like single-family houses with storefronts on them. As far as I can tell, this type of building represents the best of all worlds […]
In a few weeks, Saint Paul is likely to adopt a new plan for the West Side Flats, a large area of former floodplain right across the river from downtown Saint Paul. While there’s a lot of agreement about the majority of the plan — dense but not-too-tall mixed-use, a reconnected street grid, storm water […]
Creating a full-service Metro Go-To Card would benefit transit users and those without access to traditional banking services. It would also benefit the Met Council. There are examples of public institutions acting as lending agencies that provide great benefit to a range of people. The largest example of a public institution bank is the Bank of […]