While traveling one of the main thoroughfares in metro Detroit, I came along this modest little billboard. I call it modest because the one behind it and above it—of Detroit’s omnipresent powerhouse litigator Joumana Kayrouz—is a little bit bigger. In fact, from a moderate distance, Ms. Kayrouz not only dwarfs the Target Corporation, but the
Forgive the hiatus. I just relocated to the city featured in this article. Set in metro Detroit (the first, no doubt, among many), it’s straightforward enough that it doesn’t really demand a long introduction or exposition. From the outside, this unusual shopping center looks like it’s on the fritz: No signs above any of
I don’t usually highlight topical events, and certainly not in a way that they become central to a blog post. But in this case, I just couldn’t resist—the news is too timely, and it eerily echoes a subject I’ve covered on this blog as well as a rewrite at New Geography: the jurisdictionally defined speed trap.
My latest is now posted at New Geography. Truth be told, it’s not exactly a brand new article; I originally featured it here last December, as an exploration of municipalities (mostly in Ohio) that use speed traps as a primary means of generating revenue. Since then, I have significantly revised the final analysis, including material
Here’s a rarity for me: plunging right into the photographs, with nary an introduction. I don’t think it’s necessary this time. A few months ago, I was leaving Cleveland, Ohio on Interstate 71, headed southwestward toward Columbus. (Yes, that VW Beetle in front of me really is missing its rear windshield, in 25 degree weather.) While
If the free market could ever assume a bodily form, it would have to be a contortionist. One of the wonders of our federalist system is how deftly and shrewdly private businesses navigate around ordinances and statutes. While this is obvious when articulated in print, the real-word incarnations are often subtle. These maneuverings manifest themselves
Inevitably, communities evolve to reflect the personalities of their inhabitants. Such an assertion may come across as glib, and it probably is, but it’s far better than the opposite—when a character of its community seems at odds with its constituents’ goals. A fundamental goal of an effective representative democracy is that local governments allow people
I have chronicled the tireless migration of retail across metropolitan landscapes several times in the past; it formed the central topic of one of my earliest blog posts. Unfortunately, most of my posts have focused on the blight left by outdated retail typologies: the dead malls, exsanguinated big boxes, pockmarked parking lots, blighted strip malls,
In a country where settlement patterns are as heavily based on individual property rights as the United States, it is hard to define what constitutes a town or village, outside of the official political boundaries. To a certain extent, the definition of an incorporated area as a “city”, “boro[ugh]”, “town”, “township”, or “village” is critical
While transportation infrastructure has long elicited a highly politicized debate in the US, particularly in regards to government funding of alternative methods (Amtrak and rail, supporting the persistently ailing airline industry), only in recent years have the discussions migrated more heavily toward inadequacies in road and highway infrastructure. The collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge
While traveling one of the main thoroughfares in metro Detroit, I came along this modest little billboard. I call it modest because the one behind it and above it—of Detroit’s omnipresent powerhouse litigator
Forgive the hiatus. I just relocated to the city featured in this article. Set in metro Detroit (the first, no doubt, among many), it’s straightforward enough that it doesn’t really demand a long
I don’t usually highlight topical events, and certainly not in a way that they become central to a blog post. But in this case, I just couldn’t resist—the news is too timely, and it
My latest is now posted at New Geography. Truth be told, it’s not exactly a brand new article; I originally featured it here last December, as an exploration of municipalities (mostly in Ohio)
Here’s a rarity for me: plunging right into the photographs, with nary an introduction. I don’t think it’s necessary this time. A few months ago, I was leaving Cleveland, Ohio on Interstate 71,
If the free market could ever assume a bodily form, it would have to be a contortionist. One of the wonders of our federalist system is how deftly and shrewdly private businesses navigate
Inevitably, communities evolve to reflect the personalities of their inhabitants. Such an assertion may come across as glib, and it probably is, but it’s far better than the opposite—when a character of its
I have chronicled the tireless migration of retail across metropolitan landscapes several times in the past; it formed the central topic of one of my earliest blog posts. Unfortunately, most of my posts
In a country where settlement patterns are as heavily based on individual property rights as the United States, it is hard to define what constitutes a town or village, outside of the official
While transportation infrastructure has long elicited a highly politicized debate in the US, particularly in regards to government funding of alternative methods (Amtrak and rail, supporting the persistently ailing airline industry), only in