Las Vegas Rolls the Dice on a New City Hall

Mayor Oscar Goodman hopes the project will set off a chain reaction of new development downtown and put an economically hurting city back to work.

Governing, January 2010

Meet the Mayor

Like me, Ed Morris biked cross-country. Unlike me, he tracked down the mayors of dozens of towns along the way and photographed them.

Governing, June 2009

The Great White Right-of-Way

New York gives Broadway over to pedestrians.

Governing, June 2009

Plus: my interview with NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan

Great Park Takes Shape

Orange County’s mega-park clears one hurdle but hits others.

Governing, May 2009

A Gentler Jackhammer

How New York’s noise code created a quieter way to cut concrete.

Governing, April 2009

Lighting up Broad Street

Philadelphia takes a bright idea from the Europeans.

Governing, March 2009

Flakes of Danger

The one thing a big-city mayor can’t afford to do is mishandle snow removal.

Governing, December 2008

Metro Mojo?

It’s difficult to see where Brookings’ vision of a “metro policy for a metro nation” leads.

Governing, August 2008

Renters’ Revenge

Let’s lay some of the blame for the housing crisis on a sacred slice of American culture: our national obsession with homeownership itself.

Governing, May 2008

The Man Who Owns Flint

Michigan’s most depressed auto town is full of vacant buildings. One local official has made their redevelopment his personal crusade.

Governing, January 2008

Plus: my interview with Dan Kildee, the treasurer of Genesee County.

Shrink Rap

It’s easier to think about downsizing an imaginary post-industrial city than a real one.

Governing, November 2007

WiFi Town

Cities are building out wireless networks. What will they do with all that WiFi?

Governing, May 2007

Plus: my interviews with Chris Puccio, CIO of Boulder, Colorado and Esme Vos of muniwireless.com

The Retail Chase

Cities will do almost anything to land the store of their dreams.

Governing, April 2007

Plus: my interviews with three retail experts.

Over-the-Rhine, One More Time

Cincinnati’s most troubled and beautiful neighborhood makes a comeback.

Preservation, March/April 2007

Toll Roads For Sale (and everything else)

State and local governments are unloading toll roads, parking garages, lotteries and other assets. Are they getting a sweet deal or is it a sellout?

Governing, January 2007

Plus: My interviews with the Treasurer of New Jersey, the CFO of Chicago and the CFO of Harris County, Texas.

Smart Decline

Youngstown has lost more than half its population. Those people aren’t coming back. But shrinking doesn’t have to mean dying.

Governing, November 2006

Plus: My photo essay on Youngstown, and interviews with Mayor Jay Williams and urban planner Hunter Morrison.

UPDATE: New York Times Magazine includes “creative shrinkage” in its 2006 Year in Ideas issue. Now where did they read about that?

Profile of Bush’s Homelessness Czar

Philip Mangano may be all that’s left of compassionate conservatism.

Governing, November 2006 

America’s Green Mayors

Building a park in Boston these days is no easy task. That’s not stopping Mayor Tom Menino.

Rails to Trails, Summer 2002