Christopher Swope

Recent Articles

• The Patronage Trap, ctd.
• Apr 21, 2006
• There's an interesting debate over political patronage going on at Illinois' Capitol Fax Blog. You'll want to check it out, especially if you're one of ...

• A Little Less Creative
• Apr 21, 2006
• Burnt out on the Richard Florida wars yet? Wait! There's more! The Census Bureau just released some data on domestic migration. By this gauge, the ...
• 6 Comments

• Sell American
• Apr 19, 2006
• So you're thinking of selling off a highway or two. But you saw how that whole Dubai ports thing shook out. Foreign ownership = bad politics, ...

• He Does Know Disasters
• Apr 14, 2006
• I was aware that Michael D. Brown, that is, Brownie, the man who depending on your point of view either botched the feds' response to ...
• 2 Comments

• To Zone or Not to Zone
• Apr 13, 2006
• Among land-use planners, Houston, the only big city without zoning, is a handy punch line. Houstonians, in turn, tend to sound both defensive and Texas-proud ...
• 1 Comments

• Walkable Tax Breaks
• Apr 13, 2006
• Critics have long called tax incentives for businesses "corporate welfare." But are those tax breaks any better if they're directed at companies that ...

• How to Fix the Property Tax
• Apr 12, 2006
• Eric Anderson, the city manager of Tacoma, came by the 13th Floor last week and floated an interesting idea: What if we paid for local ...
• 4 Comments

• Urinetown
• Apr 3, 2006
• What do you get when you cross the plumbers' union with flushless toilets? A political disaster, if you're Philadelphia. The city, it seems, has been ...
• 1 Comments

• Flu Pandemic: Fend for Yourself
• Apr 3, 2006
• Maybe this goes without saying, after Katrina. But lately Mike Leavitt, the federal health secretary, has been saying it directly to local officials: you're on ...

• Coal Converts
• Apr 1, 2006
• When it comes to lining up new energy sources, a number of states see plain old coal as the cleanup hitter.

• Wiki Skirmishes
• Apr 1, 2006
• Online profiles of politicians have become battlegrounds for both spin doctors and mischief makers.

• Heavyweights on TV
• Apr 1, 2006
• Cable and telecom companies are slugging it out over franchises. Some localities may get hurt.

• Life in the Plutoburbs
• Mar 28, 2006
• Here in the D.C. area, everyone knows the most rapid growth is occuring out in the exurbs. A list of fast-growing counties without Virginia's ...

• P.R. on a Platter
• Mar 27, 2006
• There are two tried-and-true routes to good P.R. You can earn it through effective spin, or buy it through effective advertising. Now Alaska Guv ...
• 2 Comments

• Technicolor Transit
• Mar 24, 2006
• Don't let anyone tell you L.A.'s not a transit town. In fact, the city's got so many transit lines -- the Red Line, ...