The Codcast: Subsidizing congestion

By CommonWealth Staff Cost of Living and Consumer Affairs, Transportation, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Oct 27, 2017

Everyone knows about traffic congestion in Boston. It’s why we’re often late for meetings. It’s why sightseeing firms are paring back their tours because the tourists are spending too much time sitting in traffic. And it’s why many Boston officials are worried Amazon will take a pass on the city — traffic is just too(...)

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Traffic trickle down

By CommonWealth Staff Technology, Transportation, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Oct 18, 2017

Do more cars mean less traffic? Hard to tell if you read two new studies designed to address congestion through technology, including one that was done based on Boston’s streets. Like any study, the results are a matter of interpretation and what was not addressed may be as important as what the study was based(...)

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Perchance to dream

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Civil and Constitutional Rights, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Economics, Elections, Higher Education and Adult Learning, MBTA, National Politics, State Government, Urban Affairs 1 Comment Aug 31, 2017

College campuses are anxiously waiting for President Trump’s decision on whether to dismantle or even substantially change the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA was an executive order from then-President Barack Obama in 2012 that stopped deportation of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children and who pose no security threat. But(...)

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Storm stirs the political pot

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Energy, Higher Education and Adult Learning, Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Technology, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 30, 2017

Government, according to a well-worn adage credited to Barney Frank, is the name for the things we decide to do together. Right now, aiding those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey is, of course, the most pressing thing we are doing together. President Trump visited Texas yesterday, and the White House and Republican congressional(...)

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What’s Amazon up to?

By CommonWealth Staff Cost of Living and Consumer Affairs, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Growth and Development, Housing, Legal marijuana, Massachusetts politics, MBTA, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 29, 2017

Amazon slashed the prices of a handful of items at its just-acquired Whole Foods chain, a move that garnered loads of publicity but shed little light on the online retailing giant’s long-term supermarket plans. Prices for organic butter, milk, bananas, eggs, almond butter, baby kale, apples, and responsibly farmed salmon all fell. The price cuts(...)

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The Codcast: Tipping point for Confederate statues

By CommonWealth Staff Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Employment, Housing, Massachusetts Legislature, Media and Journalism, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 25, 2017

After this month’s white nationalist rally in Virginia, statues of Confederate leaders are falling across the South. Protests by white supremacists against the planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville have set in motion a rush to rid town greens and parks of icons to the Confederate cause. Many have decried the(...)

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Smart money in Massachusetts

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Civic engagement, Civil and Constitutional Rights, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Economics, Health Care, Immigration, Legal marijuana, Transportation, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 23, 2017

Back in 1990, during his run for governor, John Silber made the somewhat controversial observation that not everyone is college material and those folks would be better off focusing on a vocation like plumbing or construction. Apparently, that Silber Shocker from the well-educated college president didn’t do much to thwart the pursuit of higher education(...)

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Hating on the haters

By CommonWealth Staff Civic engagement, Civil and Constitutional Rights, Donald Trump, Ethics and Open Government, Immigration, Marty Walsh, Media and Journalism, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 21, 2017

Boston is no place for hate – and we’ll beat you and isolate you to prove it. Message sent, message received. From elected officials to the 15,000 to 40,000 demonstrators (depending on whose estimate is accurate), the response to the fizzled Free Speech Rally on Boston Common Saturday was largely loud, proud, and peaceful. The(...)

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Trump’s disruptive power

By CommonWealth Staff Civic engagement, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Energy, Ethics and Open Government, Gateway Cities, Higher Education and Adult Learning, MBTA, Transportation, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 15, 2017

Donald Trump signed 42 executive orders in his first 200 days as president. By comparison, Barack Obama, who Trump criticized for signing too many, averaged 35 executive orders a year during his two terms as president. His other two predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, averaged 24 and 25 executive orders, respectively, during their(...)

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NYC subway system looks to Boston

By CommonWealth Staff Cost of Living and Consumer Affairs, Current Affairs, Immigration, Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Robert DeLeo, Taxes and Budget Issues, Transportation, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 7, 2017

In case you missed it, the New York City subway system is in crisis mode, and officials in the Big Apple are looking to Boston for some answers. At the end of June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency, ordered a turnaround plan for the subway system, and pledged(...)


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