Author: James A. Bacon
-
Technology and UVa’s Mission
by James A. Bacon Three days ago, I criticized University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan for proposing to jack up tuition roughly 20% over the next four years. Clearly, the four-year plan she is submitting to the Board of Visitors champions the interests of the faculty and administration over those of the students. But that…
-
The Dish on Mission Investing
by James A. Bacon For many years, Richmond’s Cabell Foundation conducted business much as it had since its formation in 1957. Investing the endowment for income, the board took out 5% per year to distribute in grants to worthy causes. In 2011, that amounted to roughly $4.3 million directly for some two to three dozen…
-
Why Cities Succeed and Fail
Why do some metropolitan regions grow faster than others? That’s the question asked by Mario Polese, author of “The Wealth and Poverty of Regions: Why Cities Matter,” in an essay published in the City Journal. The essay is an easy read, and I recommend it to you. But if you are too harried to do…
-
Virginia Metro Growth Still Blah
Still a slow recovery from the recession for Virginia’s three largest metropolitan areas, with Richmond in the second-to-bottom quintile, based on an index of employment, unemployment, GDP and home prices. If it’s any consolation, Virginia metros didn’t fall as far during the recession.
-
Conjuring Wealth out of Thin Air
by James A. Bacon The Massachusetts Department of Transportation generated $40 million from the lease of air rights over state transportation assets in FY 2011. Earlier this month, the state built upon that revenue stream by designating AG Scotia II as developer of air rights over two parcels above and along Interstate 90 in Boston.…
-
More Big Tuition Hikes Ahead for UVa
by James A. Bacon University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan has developed a four-year financial plan that would jack up base tuition by 2.5% to 3.5% annually. Moreover, her plan would boost McIntire School of Business tuition by $5,000 yearly above the base rate, the School of Engineering tuition by $2,000, and the tuition for…
-
Compare and Contrast: Freight Rail with Roads and Highways
The North American freight railroad business is chugging along very nicely, reports the Wall Street Journal, and railroad companies are engaged in a building boom surpassing anything seen since the industry’s 19th century golden age. Major rail lines are spending $14 billion this year on rail yards, refueling stations, additional track and upgrades to old…
-
Virginia Ports to Stay Public
After 18 months of review, the board of commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority has decided to drop all bids for port privatization. “We are transforming The Port of Virginia to meet a changing and increasingly competitive environment,” said William Fralin, chairman of the VPA board in a prepared statement. “We will move forward as…
-
More Toxic Logic
by James A. Bacon Gov. Bob McDonnell has submitted his amendments to the landmark transportation-funding legislation passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. His proposals tweak the bill — reducing the annual fee on alternative-fuel vehicles from $100 to $64, for instance — without altering the substance. Among the more notable changes, the governor…
-
The Tumbling Tots of Sydney
by James A. Bacon “Smart growth kills children!” quipped email correspondent Ron Utt yesterday. He proffered the sly comment in passing along a blog post describing how 169 children in Sydney, Australia, plunged from high-rise windows or balustrades to serious injury or death between 1998 and 2008. In the New Geography blog post that Ron…
-
What Arlington Is Doing Right
I pilloried Arlington County in a previous post for building $1 million bus stops. Now for a reminder of what the county is doing right… Forest City Washington, reports the Washington Post, is planning an upgrade of Ballston Common Mall that would add a row of sidewalk retail along Wilson Boulevard and build 306 residential…
-
Repairing Waterways One Subdivision at a Time
Virginia’s suburbs are hard on water quality and wildlife habitat. You can do something about it. Create a neighborhood preserve and get to work! by James A. Bacon If everyone swept their front stoop, the old saying goes, the whole world would be clean. With that philosophy in mind, two or three dozen volunteers with…
-
Arlington’s $1 Million Bus Stop
One million dollars for a new bus stop in Arlington County? No wonder so many people regard mass transit as a boondoggle. “Is this made of gold?” the Washington Post quotes one commuter as asking. No, actually, the bus stop near Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive, is made mainly of concrete and glass. It…
-
Missing: Three Baby Pianos
How do you misplace a $10,000 incinerator or three baby grand pianos, asks Kathryn Wilson with Virginia Watchdog. Virginia State University managed to do so, along with sculptures, laptops, lawnmowers, copiers and a tractor. A request under the Freedom of Information Act identified $8 million in taxpayer-funded fixed assets that had gone lost, missing or…
-
First, Fix Virginia’s Roads
by James A. Bacon Virginia’s infrastructure rates a “D+” in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 report card on American infrastructure, released earlier this week. That’s a lousy rating in line with the national score of D+. The civil engineers have been accused of overstating the woes of American infrastructure in order to justify…