Rebuilding Chicago

Infrastructure renewal, Chicago. Picture: City of Chicago.

I wrote this week in The Economist about the new Chicago Infrastructure Trust--the piece was co-authored with Ryan Avent in Washington.

I have also blogged recently about Chicago's obvious need for a great deal of infrastructure investment. 



A question of trust 

Chicago pioneers a new way of paying for infrastructure

May 12th 2012 | CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON, DC | from the print edition

FOR decades America has underinvested in infrastructure—even though poor roads, delayed flights, crumbling bridges and inefficient buildings are an expensive burden. Deficiencies in roads, bridges and transport systems alone cost households and businesses nearly $130 billion in 2010, mostly because of higher running costs and travel delays. The calculated underinvestment in transport infrastructure alone runs to about $94 billion a year. This filters through to all parts of the economy and increases costs at the point of use of many raw materials, and thereby reduces the productivity and competitiveness of American firms and their goods. Overall the American Society of Civil Engineers reckons that this underinvestment will end up costing each family in the country about $10,600 between 2010 and 2020.

Yet though investment in infrastructure would bring clear gains in efficiency, there is little money around, and all levels of government are reluctant or unable to pile up more debt. Traditional sources of funding, such as the (flat) tax on petrol, have delivered a dwindling amount of revenue as soaring prices at the pump have persuaded people to drive less. The federal government has been unable to get Congress to agree on other ways to generate new sources of funding for transport, to the point where money for new highways has almost dried up. [More...]

Goodbye, Peter

I'm greatly saddened to hear of the death of my colleague Peter David, our Washington Bureau Chief, writer of the Lexington column and a friend.

The last time we met was at the end of April, when he and some colleagues from Washington came to Chicago to meet with the Obama Campaign team. It was a lovely spring day. We met in the sunshine outside the Prudential Tower.

He told me that he had spent the morning going for a walk down Navy Pier, and said I was lucky to live in such a beautiful city. It is, indeed, a lovely walk from downtown to the lake. We had coffee, and he proudly showed me his new ipad (red leather cover). Peter was a generous and considerate friend, and always available to offer advice and support. I miss him.

He was lost in a car accident. It's a terrible tragic waste of a man of enormous talent.

Updated: 

Peter David's blog as Lexington

Economist's D.C. chief dies in car crash, Politico. (With many remembrances from colleagues)
Some great pictures of Peter David.
Picture of Peter meeting Arafat shortly before Arafat's death in 2004. 
Peter's biography on our staff pages. Prior to joining the Economist he worked at Nature magazine.
Beautiful piece by our former deputy editor, Clive Crook, who is now with the Atlantic.
Washington Post obituary. May require subscription.
The Economist tribute to Peter David.

Drive-thru ATM

The drive-thru ATM is something of a novelty to us British folk.

Chicago Street Art

Art outside the Lill Street Cafe, Chicago. Fill in your own blank.

Who writes Science and Technology at the Economist?

• Update June 2014: this post is getting a little out of date. Please refer to this page. 

• Updated July 2012: Although I no longer work in the Science and Technology section, this post is pretty popular so I thought I would update the names to reflect the current situation in the science department.

N.L. Chicago, July 2012.