In places like Joseph, Ore., land values are through the roof, immense palaces are being erected for people who only live there part-time. Ordinary people are out of work, and only a struggling handful of year-round residents are likely to remain. When will it fall apart?
A cool new website called WalkScore gives you an instant score for the walkability in your neighborhood. Walkability, in turn, has become a far more huggable notion than density to make the case for healthier, more compact communities.
Though it's hard to see and get to, for now, a pretty nice new park is taking shape in south Lake Union, mercifully spared in the wars over city investment in that neighborhood.
It was just another one of those campers that parks on Seattle's side streets being hauled away, like so many are nowadays. Two dogs were inside, impounded along with their home. But the sight of this little bit of inhumanity raises questions about our city's soul.
New grants for congestion relief in Seattle and New York have big strings attached. And implementing road tolling is not as E-Z as it looks.
