Where Did All the Public Bathrooms Go? Writing for Bloomberg CityLab (limited free articles – archive link), Elizabeth Yuko examines the history, social, political, and economic factors that have influenced the waxing and waning of public toilet spaces…
SFnal Coordination Mechanism Design, Path Dependence and Roads Not Taken
Glass: the most underrated medieval technology? (threadreader) – “Venice sought desperately to keep its monopoly. If a glassmaker left without permission, he would be asked to return. If he refused, his family would be imprisoned, and if he still persi…
We need to talk about ‘moderate’ Democrats
Why Are Moderates Trying to Blow Up Biden’s Centrist Economic Plan? [ungated] – “In attacking the Build Back Better Act, they are working against their own purported aims.” “This is why America as an experiment — the building of a society that is both…
Paris is taking space back from cars. Here’s how.
The Liberation of Paris From Cars Is Working – “The French capital is quickly cutting automobiles out of daily life. David Belliard is the deputy mayor behind it.”[1,2] (previously) Over the past six years, Paris has done more than almost any city in t…
It measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile
Enough with the GDP — it’s time to measure genuine progress – “Unlike GDP, the Genuine Progress Indicator is designed to measure economic performance from the perspective of ordinary American households, not corporations or Wall Street investors.”[1,2]…
The Innovation of Modular Housing: How Buildings Learn Pattern Languages
Apartments Built on an Assembly Line [ungated] – “The pandemic put a general crimp in housing construction, but made a California factory that churns out prefabricated housing extra busy.”[1,2] Mr. Holliday, who co-founded the factory with Larry Pace, …