Author: James A. Bacon
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Map of the Day: Cycling to Work
The number of U.S. workers who traveled to work by bicycle increased from about 488,000 in 2000 to about 786,000 in 2008-2012, the largest percentage increase of any transportation mode, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau based upon its annual American Community Survey. Fully one percent of the population in…
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Drunken College Sex Parties and the Politics of Gender
by James A. Bacon Modern American universities are strange places. They concentrate populations of 18- to 22-year-old youth at the peak of their sexual appetites, celebrate unbridled sex through sex festivals and the dispensing of free condoms, tolerate party scenes of wild drunkenness and hook-ups, then get morally self-righteous about a phantasmagorical “rape culture.” Writing in City…
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A Partial Recantation
It turns out that the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee were wrong when they claimed that 33% of the eight million Americans enrolled for Obamacare health care exchanges have not yet paid their premiums. A more accurate number, according to the Associated Press based on testimony of three major insurers, is 20%. Well,…
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Map of the Day: Where the Cyclists Are
Strava Labs maintains a database of where runners and cyclists using its smart-phone fitness app are running and riding. The data set includes nearly 77 million rides and 20 million runs. The heat map above shows where cycling activity is the most intense across the state. (Sorry about cutting off Southwest Virginia and the Virginia…
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A Timely Reminder of the Anti-Agenda 21 Distraction
by James A. Bacon Here in Virginia, the anti-Agenda 21 zealots have managed to stay out of the headlines for quite a while. I don’t know if that’s because they are quietly re-energizing themselves or if the movement is falling apart. But it never hurts to be reminded of the bizarre nature of this populist splinter group, which has done…
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Rise of the Post-College Town
Every community covets the Millennials, especially those with education, skills and tech savvy who do so much to stimulate entrepreneurial economic growth. USA Today has surveyed the coutry to see which “cities” (urban core jurisdictions, not metro regions) do the best job of luring Millennials. And it turns out that Virginia cities do pretty well. Arlington…
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What If They Gave a Health Care Plan and Nobody Paid?
Here’s the news you heard: More than 8 million Americans signed up for Obamacare through state market exchanges. Here’s the news you didn’t hear: One third of those 8 million did not pay their first month’s insurance premium. The Obama administration refused to release the payment information so the House Energy and Commerce Committee rounded up the figures itself.…
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UVa to Students: Suck It Up
by James A. Bacon Helen Dragas burst into public view two years ago when, as rector of the University of Virginia Board of Trustees, she led an attempted ouster of UVa’s popular president, Teresa Sullivan. The Virginia Beach home builder lost the ensuing power struggle, publicly reconciled with Sullivan, stepped down as rector but remained on…
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New Richmond Stadium Plan Deserves a Close Look
by James A. Bacon A private development team has offered to build a new Richmond baseball stadium on the Boulevard without taxpayer dollars, the Times-Dispatch reported Wednesday. The developers, who include Chesterfield County Supervisor Daniel A. Gecker, a principle with Urban Development Associates, has presented an overview to City Council and the Jones administration. “From…
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Map of the Day: States Where People Want to Move
Another data point indicating that Virginia is in bigger trouble than the political class is willing to acknowledge… In a recent poll the Gallup organization found that one third (33%) of all Americans say that, if given a chance to move to a different state, they would. Overall, residents are most dissatisfied with the blue…
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The Internet-of-Things Steamroller and the Economic Competitiveness of Cities
by James A. Bacon Well, I’m a steamroller, baby, I’m bound to roll all over you. Yes, I’m a steamroller now, baby, I’m bound to roll all over you. … — James Taylor “Steamroller The words to James Taylor’s blues classic “Steamroller” have been churning through my mind during the 2014 Niagara Summit hosted by Richmond-based…
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Where in the World Is Jim Bacon?
Hint: That is the Eiffel Tower but this is not Paris, France. This is ground zero for crass materialism, self-indulgent hedonism and inauthentic kitsch. It is the antithesis of everything I hold dear yet… I feel oddly drawn to this place. — JAB
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The Simple Ingredients of a Good Public Space
What makes a good urban public space? It takes more than a plaza, which can be barren, inhospitable and desolate. The fountains, as shown here on Park Ave. in New York, are a definite bonus. But the critical ingredient is having somewhere to sit, even if it’s as simple as a set of shallow steps. I offer this…
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Virginians Skeptical of Medicaid Expansion
by James A. Bacon The biggest story in Virginia right now (even bigger than the U.S. 460 fiasco) is Medicaid expansion, and the latest wrinkle is that Republican skeptics are winning the debate. Frankly, I am amazed. I thought that the siren call of recouping billions of dollars in federal money that Virginians were paying already…
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Where In the World Is Jim Bacon?
Nowhere as exciting as the places Matt Lauer goes… but pretty exciting for Jim Bacon. The spouse and I stopped here on the way to our final destination for one evening to help a friend celebrate her 60th birthday. I could not visit without snapping at least one photo pertaining to transportation and human settlement…