I don’t really think that flag lot is part of common parlance anywhere outside of the domain of real estate and land development. But it’s such a common condition—and such a simple concept to understand—that it’s kind of surprising most people don’t really know about it. I certainly didn’t until I dipped my toe in
After over 800 articles penned, I have consistently asserted that the point of this blog is to put forward empirical arguments. I try to extract greater meaning from what I observe. Data and second-party research supplements or substantiates the arguments I try to make. Not every blog post uses outside articles, legal documentation, and/or statistics.
This blog is long overdue for a listicle, and at last I’ve found a subject that has preoccupied me for quite some time: all of America’s Washingtons. And by Washingtons I mean municipalities named “Washington”. Having lived for a few years in the largest of these—our nation’s capital—I had no real idea how many other
During the season of giving, it’s not likely that most people’s first notion of a repository for seasonal gifts is a dollar store. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name it. I suppose I’m making an elitist generalization here: after all, many people lack the wherewithal for purchase gifts anywhere other than a dollar store. Furthermore,
Slaters Lane is a disproportionately important street in Alexandria, Virginia, considering its brief length. From end to end, it measures only a half of mile, and an additional 500 feet of that length is a stub that dead-ends into an office/residential complex near the Potomac River a bit further eastward. But the other ~2100 feet
It’s a busy time of year and I need to meet my monthly blogging goals, so I’m going to cheat a little bit and piggyback on my previous article. To be frank, it’s a double-cheat, since I usually try to avoid featuring the same state for two blog articles in a row. But here I
Social critics have asserted for decades that American religiosity is in a state of decline. In recent years, they have grown more confident. And they certainly have evidence: churches are closing left and right across the country, a condition that accelerated during the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns. Additionally, polls show a reduced percentage of American
The infamous book How to Lie with Maps initially offered a light-hearted attempt to explore how maps can entice, mislead, inflame, and generally propagandize, often without necessarily depicting anything geographically untruthfully. Juxtapositions (not always to scale), labels, color choice, and infographics can all endow an editorial skew on what seems like objective spatial representation. And
It’s time to confess: I’m beholden to my most successful blog posts, which sometimes feature a subject I don’t really care all that much about, but hey—if it gets good engagement and stimulates conversation, why not explore it again? That’s precisely the case with those yellow caution bumper stickers (or perhaps they’re magnets?) that have
The expansive, oddly shaped downtown district of Arlington, Virginia (it’s a county, even though it feels like a city) features some unusual intersections, which no doubt confuse motorists and pedestrians who are unfamiliar with the area. These intersections were nowhere near as precarious back in the day, when most of the area consisted of low-slung
I don’t really think that flag lot is part of common parlance anywhere outside of the domain of real estate and land development. But it’s such a common condition—and such a simple concept
After over 800 articles penned, I have consistently asserted that the point of this blog is to put forward empirical arguments. I try to extract greater meaning from what I observe. Data and
This blog is long overdue for a listicle, and at last I’ve found a subject that has preoccupied me for quite some time: all of America’s Washingtons. And by Washingtons I mean municipalities
During the season of giving, it’s not likely that most people’s first notion of a repository for seasonal gifts is a dollar store. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name it. I suppose I’m
Slaters Lane is a disproportionately important street in Alexandria, Virginia, considering its brief length. From end to end, it measures only a half of mile, and an additional 500 feet of that length
It’s a busy time of year and I need to meet my monthly blogging goals, so I’m going to cheat a little bit and piggyback on my previous article. To be frank, it’s
Social critics have asserted for decades that American religiosity is in a state of decline. In recent years, they have grown more confident. And they certainly have evidence: churches are closing left and
The infamous book How to Lie with Maps initially offered a light-hearted attempt to explore how maps can entice, mislead, inflame, and generally propagandize, often without necessarily depicting anything geographically untruthfully. Juxtapositions (not
It’s time to confess: I’m beholden to my most successful blog posts, which sometimes feature a subject I don’t really care all that much about, but hey—if it gets good engagement and stimulates
The expansive, oddly shaped downtown district of Arlington, Virginia (it’s a county, even though it feels like a city) features some unusual intersections, which no doubt confuse motorists and pedestrians who are unfamiliar