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The Cleveland Income Tax Hike Explained (For Real This Time)

2016-02-07T17:59:21-05:00By William Rickman|Cities, Cleveland, Current Issue, Politics and Urbanism|

As part of their coverage of Mayor Frank Jackson’s proposed income tax hike in Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio Media Group ran a strange, divisive, and misleading story ...

8:43 am8:43 am

Protecting The Architectural Legacy Of Columbus, Indiana

2016-02-04T08:55:54-05:00By William Rickman|Arts & Culture, Cities, Current Issue, Politics and Urbanism|

In 2014, an architecturally significant bank just outside Columbus, Indiana, met the wrecking ball. The sandstone and glass building was designed in 1966 by Fisher and Spillman Architects and was part of the city’s storied design legacy.

8:27 am8:27 am

Do Suburbs Make City Kids Poorer?

2016-02-03T08:18:39-05:00By William Rickman|Cities, Current Issue, Essays, Housing, Politics and Urbanism, Population|

When I was in high school, a teacher once asked my class to use a word or term to describe the United States. A classmate of mine said it was “a meritocracy.”

9:02 am9:02 am

The Last Italian In Larimer

2016-02-02T08:43:19-05:00By William Rickman|Cities, Current Issue, Pittsburgh, Politics and Urbanism, Population, Urban Agriculture and Food|

Joe Grasso comes out of the office and into the front room to help two members of his crew box up the sausage they’ve just finished making. They’re all wearing white short-sleeved button-up shirts, white aprons, and hairnets.

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Report From Flint: Don’t Call It “Katrina”

2016-02-01T15:09:58-05:00By William Rickman|Cities, Current Issue, Essays, Flint, Politics and Urbanism|

The drive from Lansing to Flint is relatively easy, a straight shot along I-69. It’s a drive I first made in August 2008 after accepting a teaching job at the University of Michigan-Flint.

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Weekly Links Roundup

2016-02-01T12:12:17-05:00By William Rickman|Current Issue|

News of the Rust Belt from around the world, brought to you weekly by the staff of Belt Magazine. We’re independently owned; become a member and support us (plus get cool stuff for free!). This week January 25 - January 31, 2016.

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Arabic And English In Dearborn: Language Is More Than Just A Skill

2016-01-28T23:41:18-05:00By William Rickman|Cities, Current Issue, Detroit, Politics and Urbanism, Population|

As she sat in a dim conference room wearing a black coat, rays of sunlight lit up Suzan Harb’s face as she spoke of the differences between her native Lebanon and her new home of Dearborn.

8:28 am8:28 am

That Better Place, or the Problem With Mobility

2018-09-21T10:17:26-04:00By William Rickman|Cities, Covers, Current Issue, Housing, Politics and Urbanism, Population|

Look out the window of an airplane as you take off from just about any American city and you see a vast carpet of loosely woven streets and parking lots extending far from the city center ...

7:57 am7:57 am

Banjos On The North Side

2016-01-26T09:29:11-05:00By William Rickman|Cities, Current Issue, Pittsburgh|

They say that Pittsburgh is the City of Bridges, with 446 bridges spanning the three rivers and many creeks leading to them. There is the Hot Metal Bridge, leading from downtown to South Side; ...

6:03 pm6:03 pm