Rising inequality in the US isn’t new; Declining inequality globally is. Scratch just beneath the surface of many daily problems, and you’ll find income inequality is a contributing factor, if not the chief culprit. Whether its concentrated poverty, soaring housing…
What City Observatory did this week 1. Such a deal. Suppose someone offered you this investment deal: You can get $200,000 in preferred stock, that pays a 5% annual dividend tax free, and when it comes time to sell this…
Portland is thinking about widening freeways; other cities show that doesn’t work Once upon a time, Portland held itself out as a national example of how to build cities that didn’t revolve (so much) around the private automobile. Back in…
How tax policy subsidizes homeownership, mostly for the wealthiest Americans OK. Imagine that someone offers you this investment deal. We want you to buy some stock; in fact, we want you to buy about $150,000 or $200,000 in stock. In…
What City Observatory did this week 1. Hundred dollar bills on the municipal sidewalk? There’s a lot of interest in tapping the hidden value of municipal assets to address city financial problems. The typical city owns billions of dollars of…