Perception and Reality: New York City's Quality of Life is Improving
I'm writing a paper about trends in big city quality of life.
An Unfair Look at Malibu
Many celebrities live in Malibu. I didn't see any of them today but I now have a better understanding of why they live there. On a traffic free sunday, Malibu is a 35 minute drive from UCLA. UCLA is close to everything. On a map of Los Angeles, Malibu is way North and West of anything.
NYC is a Green City: Go Ask the Beavers!
The New York Times today is filled with interesting green news. Paul Krugman's piece presents an interesting fact that California's per-capita energy consumption is 40% below the national average. He argues that higher energy prices are the cause.
A UCLA Anthropologist's Study of Urban Land Use by Middle Class People in Los Angeles
Have you ever wondered what anthropologists do all day long? When I meet faculty from other departments, I often ask myself this question. What do you do? What is the hard part of your research job? Below, this post will reveal the answer for one set of social scientists.
Chicago's Top 150 Stars: Do Rex Grossman and Vince Vaughn Really Outshine Gary Becker?
I had thought that the recent efforts by economists such as Krugman, Sachs, Glaeser and Levitt had raised the economics profession's overall profile. The New York Times has also been devoting more coverage to describing who is "hot" in academic economics.
The Frontier of Environmental Economics?
I apologize. I have stopped blogging for a while because I've been busy. Maybe I'm slowing down and have no more ideas to share? Maybe it is too sunny here in Los Angeles?
But, I'm always looking for something to get me excited about my work and today I have found it.
Further Brain Drain in New Orleans
When hurricane katrina hit, I predicted that New Orleans' durable housing stock would survive but would become a poverty magnet as predicted in the model published in the JPE in 2005 by Glaeser and Gyourko.
The article below focuses on selective out-migration from New Orleans.
100% annual rate of return on Fancy New York Real Estate?
Burried in today's New York Times Real Estate section is an interesting case study of the rate of return to real estate investment in New York City's fancy upper east side. An investor has purchased an empty lot for $8 million.
The Oldest Old: Will You Live to Age 95?
My grandfather turned 95 today. His sister lived to age 95. What was in the Polish drinking water from their youth? Relatively few blogs written by economists talk about their families.
New Public Transit in a Fancy Part of Los Angeles?
Does Representative Henry Waxman have consistent legislative preferences? Here is a passage from the great book "Mega-Cities",
.
A Necessary Step for Greening Cities: Sewer Pipe Investment Upkeep
Capital depreciation sounds like a pretty boring subject but this article below highlights that "boring" capital maintenance investments are key for keeping basic urban functions (such as having clean water) up and going. This issue repeats itself over and over.
What Does a 5 Million Dollar Home Look Like in Los Angeles?
Some sundays in Los Angeles, my wife, my son and I take a look at homes for sale near UCLA. We like to see how other people live and find out what is the purchasing power of a $1 in Los Angeles. Today, we were in a nice part of Brentwood.
Pro-Union Labor Laws and the Rising Cost of Urban Infrastructure Projects
The other day, the New York Times reported that New York City is having trouble completing transit projects because of high bids by potential contractors. I offered a conjecture that bidder collusion may be part of the explanation.
