Public Commentary and other writing

Jupiter’s Moons, Western Pennsylvania History, Fall 2024
Pennsylvania’s Duty to Tax Fairly, Real Clear Pennsylvania, August 13, 2024
U.S. Steel’s acquisition will end a difficult marriage that forged and constrained Pittsburgh’s identity, PublicSource, December 18, 2023
Painful Truth of Population Decline, Real Clear Politics, July 20, 2023), Real Clear Politics, May 25, 2022
Dorothy Revisited, Postindustrial, September 13, 2022
The Property Tax System That Could Have Been, PublicSource, July 19, 2022
The Pipeline That Saved Pittsburgh, Medium.com, June 1, 2022
Demographic Decline May Force Pennsylvania to Address Problems, Real Clear Politics, May 25, 2022
When Pittsburgh Said No, Postindustrial, May 13, 2022
Clairton is Dead, Long Live Clairton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 6, 2021
Shaping the Pittsburgh region post-pandemic, with Michael Madison, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 14, 2020
Mobilizing a Nation for War, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 6, 2020
What Donald Trump Gets Wrong About Pittsburgh, Politico, June 3, 2017
Book Review: ‘The New Urban Crisis’ Richard Florida updates his influential thesis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 9, 2017
Parsing the New Pittsburgh narrative, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 1, 2015
Quantifying Pittsburgh’s Evolution (interview/profile), Pittsburgh Business Times, July 4, 2014
The Map is Back, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 6, 2013
Go Mobile, in One big idea for Pittsburgh’s next mayor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 19, 2013
For Pittsburgh a future not reliant on steel was unthinkable, and unavoidable, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 23, 2012
Stealing From Pennsylvania’s Future, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 18, 2012
Two Presidents, One Message, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 30, 2011
Gerontocracy, Pittsburgh City Paper, June 9, 2011
WELCOME TO CLEVEBURGH!, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 2, 2011
What Did Pittsburgh Learn from the G-20?, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 26, 2010
Book review of The Lost Cyclist, by David Herlihy, Pittsburgh City Paper, August 10, 2010
Remaking the Political Map, Pittsburgh City Paper, February 10, 2010
Southwestern Pennsylvania Meet your governments (editorial and graphic), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 10, 2010
Decline and Rise, Datapoints: The Dismal Scientist Blog, Economy.com, September 24, 2009
**The G20 is coming to Pittsburgh? **, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 31, 2009
The USS Pittsburgh vs. Typhoon Viper, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 8, 2008
Pittsburgh�s Giant Gender Gap, with Sabina Deitrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 27, 2008
Pittsburgh 250: Defined by Our Past, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 20, 2008
Interview, Pittsburgh City Paper, August 23, 2007
They Come, They Go: Migration and Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 12, 2007
Cupcake Econometrics 101, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 1, 2007
[Taxing Pittsburgh](Taxing Pittsburgh), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 18, 2007
Why Regionalism is So Difficult, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 9, 2006
The End (or the beginning) of tax competition as we know it, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 17, 2006
Candidates, be careful what you wish for, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 30, 2005
Energy-burgh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 23, 2005
When Pittsburgh took on the world, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 13, 2005
The city�s stealth crisis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 29, 2005
Fade to black / Ill-fated QUBE TV had city on cutting edge in ’80s, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 29, 2004
Book Review of Root Shock: The Demolition of America’s Urban Neighborhoods. By Mindy Fullilove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 27, 2004
Optimistic Contrarian (Profile), by Clarke Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , June 2, 2004
Century Old Dispute, Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Business Times, April 19, 2004
Is Downtown Dead? Hardly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, February 1, 2004
Productivity Dilemma, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, December 23, 2003
Bankruptcy Should Not Be Seen as Answer to City’s Woes, Pittsburgh Business Times, June 23, 2003
It Was 20 Years Ago Today, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, February 1, 2003
Bankruptcy for Pittsburgh Must Be Avoided, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 22, 2002
A 21st Century Draft Will Not Work, US Naval Institute Proceedings, September 1, 2002
Goodbye, St. Francis, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 24, 2002
Young People Are Not Leaving Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, May 5, 2002
Groundhog Day in the Assessors Office, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 27, 2002
Pittsburgh Can Carry On, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, October 13, 2001
Is �Young Voter� an Oxymoron, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, July 22, 2001
The Truth About Immigration, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 7, 2001
Interview, OnQ, WQED, WQED, January 0, 1900
The Dot.com bust could be Pittsburgh�s Boom, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, December 31, 2000
The Soldiers Next Door, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, January 27, 2001
Beyond Border Guard Bob, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, June 25, 2000
We’re Getting Younger Every Year, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, January 2, 2000
They Also Serve Who Only Sort and Drive, Washington Post, December 17, 1990