A Case for Retiring The Word ‘Slum’
In a new book, an urban historian argues that the term distorts the policies meant to help poor neighborhoods.
The Continued Decline of the Alt-Weekly
What the death of the iconic City Paper means to Philadelphia.
In Defense of Rent Control
Rent control has long been criticized by economists, but the list of theoretical harms often aren't observable in reality. With a lack of serious public housing funding, the policy may be one of the best, and cheapest, ways to protect low-income families.
Even the Night Owls Need to Go Home Eventually
The transportation authority responsible for Philadelphia’s subways thought extended service hours would attract young millennials out partying into the early morning, but it might be the workers who keep the city running through the night that are benefiting most.
Will Philadelphia Ever Be Home to a Middle Class?
Jake Blumgart has watched his friends decamp his adopted hometown for places with more opportunities and city services. Will anyone be left to build a better Philly?
Why Opening a Casino Is a Terrible Idea
A number of smaller towns are opening up casinos in the hopes of emulating the success of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. As far as economic development goes, this is the worst idea.
You Don’t Have a Right to Be Obese at Work
In most places, employers can still discriminate against employees based on their weight—and research shows that they often do. So how exactly did we get here?
The Terrible Tipped Minimum Wage
The way to fix tipping isn't to abolish it. Instead, it's time to do something about the minimum wage for tipped employees.
I Signed Up for Health Care and All I Got Was This, Well, I’m Not Really Sure Yet
One of the biggest issues with HealthCare.gov is that it still leaves too much responsibility with the individual.