Somerville: America's Happiest City

Somerville Becomes First City to Track Happiness

Everyday when we wake up the first thing that we notice is how we feel. Regardless of whether it's a Tuesday and we are headed to work or whether we are vacationing in the Caribbean, we get a feeling to start off our day; some feel happy, some feel sad and others are anxious about something. We feel things everyday and it is our feelings that determine our levels of satisfaction in life. But all too often we focus on the things around us as a measure of happiness, instead of the way that we feel. Somerville, MA recently became the first city to take note of this. Instead of asking residents to talk about their surroundings, the city surveyed residents about how happy they are.

Letting Feelings Shape Policies

Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone is largely credited with transforming the city from a place that was better to avoid into a place where people wanted to live. It is also consistently ranked among the best managed cities in the country. In shaping the city, Curtatone decided to ask residents how they felt about life, how they felt about Somerville and how they felt about specific policies enacted by the city. 

The survey yielded some interesting results, some surprising and others unsurprising. They mayor's office found that trees and bike lanes contributed to residents happiness as did income up to $75,000. But surprisingly, the city learned that zero sort recycling was also a huge plus for residents. Before the survey part of the city had zero sort recycling while the rest had to sort recyclables. After the happiness survey, Somerville moved the entire city to a zero sort model.

Somerville is definitely onto something. What good is a building, road or policy in a city if it doesn't actually make us happy? Hopefully many more cities will follow in Somerville's footsteps. 

How Changing Prices Effect Poverty and Social Mobility

Toys are Cheaper, Essentials Cost More

Due to a variety of market forces, prices for goods and services are always changing. Some things seem to become more expensive over time, while other things tend to get cheaper. But, these prices changes actually tend to occur in broad categories and as a result, they have an effect on poverty and social mobility. Take a look at this graphic, which shows the relative price change in a variety of categories since 2005. You'll notice that the most important goods and services: college tuition, healthcare, childcare and food, have all gotten more expensive, while fun items, such as TVs and computers have gotten much cheaper.

The Effect on Poverty

Now that prices have changed so much, poverty has changed as well. As the adage goes "poverty now comes with a color TV." But ironically, even as the poorest among us have more purchasing power to afford fun items like TVs, they are actually less capable of purchasing the goods and services that lead to a way out of poverty. It has become more and more expensive to finance college and this has turn many low-income kids away. At the same time, it becomes increasingly expensive to afford the cost of daycare, which creates an incentive for low-income parents not to work.

Interestingly enough, the things which have declined in price also tend to be those products which have seen their manufacturing bases outsourced. The cost of labor is much lower in other countries, so as jobs have left American manufacturing, so have prices on these products dropped. 

The Paradox of Wealth

Very Rich, but Very Poor

Money, assets, wealth, rich, poor, destitute: all of these are in some ways less tangible than they may seem. Sure, today we have a world full of have's and have not's. Some are suffering in extreme poverty while others lounge on Caribbean beaches. This may seem to reflect some sort of natural arrangement, but in fact it does not. Wealth is really just a socially constructed system to distribute society's resources.

Imagine for example that you are Bill Gates; you have more money than you could ever dream of. Now imagine that you are in a desert with a low-income person. Nobody else is around. You are both walking through the desert alone together and you happen to find a pitcher of water. What would happen? I suspect that you would simply split the water between the two of you. Outside of market system of society, Bill Gates and any other person suddenly become equals. If something cannot be bought or sold, wealth becomes meaningless.

It's important to remember that in the natural world, money does not divide humanity into those who are worthy of something and those who are not. Society simply has needs and wealth is in a very general sense a reward to those who fill some of these needs. So what happens then when society determines that certain individuals should be given a huge share of total wealth, relative to other people? 

I think it depends.

Money alone really is empty. It really takes meaning when it represents something else. For example, for some people money can come with achievement and the fulfillment of ambitions. These people may feel happy earning more and more money because it represents their own accomplishments. On the other hand, some people seem to happen upon money for seemingly no reason, and in these situations it may generate other feelings.

The Rich Can Feel Poor

I know that often times nobody really wants to hear about the problems of the rich. People may think that they have nothing to worry about because they have all the money that they need. But money is not always a solution and I believe that all life problems can really only be in perspective of one's own life. That being said, I truly want to examine the perhaps sad lives of some extremely wealthy individuals.

If someone becomes rich upon accomplishing a major life goal, reaching some milestone or just by chance, they may feel discontent. If money was a motivating force in someone's life and they suddenly have more of it than they will ever need, it could create a sense of being finished in some way. The sense of achievement and abruptness that could come with wealth may leave some rich wondering "What now?" Money alone might have the effect of interrupting a sense of purpose in the world. 

The Rich Can Also Feel Rich

Perhaps if instead we examine a rich person, or a set of rich people who earn wealth over time, we may find a different outcome. If wealth becomes a part of the journey rather than a destination, it may not conjure the same feelings of a sort of existential dread associated with fulfilling a life goal. Those who are able to come into wealth and adjust their life goals to seek new passions and ambitions, rather than just more money, may feel quite happy with their wealth.

Tension Between Rich and Poor

For some reason, there seems to be a theme in our society of being obsessed with knowing who has money and who doesn't and of creating some sort of judgment as a result. If you are rich, you are taught, probably subconsciously, to look down upon those who earn less than you. On the other hand, if you are poor or even middle class, you may resent those who have more money than you do. 

I believe that no matter the direction of the scorn that it is in many ways quite foolish. There is really no point in disliking an individual or a group of individuals just because they fall into a different financial class than you do. Thinking back to the desert example, after extracting the social construct of wealth from the equation, it's easy to see that everyone is really equal to one another in their intrinsic human value. 

Wealth is just the way that society determines the allocation of resources. Individuals really cannot determine how much society will value their contribution; market forces set wage rates for different industries, companies and individuals. Therefore nobody should judge somebody else simply for a difference in income. 

We are all humans and we are all equal. We should stop letting ourselves believe that a person's financial status is at all indicative of their human value. 

Why Boston Should Not Bid On 2024 Olympics

Boston Olympics Would Be Wasteful

With the winter Olympics in full swing in Sochi, the Olympic Commission has begun pondering a bid for Boston to host the games in 2024. While hosting the olympic games can show the pride of a city, it also has many downfalls. If given the option to host the Olympic games in 2024, Boston should reject the idea.

Olympics Are Too Costly

Each Olympic cycle, host cities spend billions of dollars on infrastructure to develop impressive stadiums for the games. In general, these stadiums are quite beautiful and provide excellent backdrops for the games, but once the festivities are finished, cities are left with empty and expensive stadiums. If Boston were to host the games, it would have to build a massive Olympic Village for the occasion. 

Betting Boston's future on the success or failure of an Olympic bid is highly risky. Historically, many cities lose hundreds of millions of dollars through the hosting of games. Boston has enough to be proud of, it doesn't need to risk it's solid ground by footing an Olympic sized bill. Many local businesses would likely benefit from the games, but the city would likely find itself mired in debt. 

Boston Has No Room

Boston is among the most densely populated cities in America; it also is one of the smaller major cities. Simply put, Boston has little room for a sprawling Olympic Village. In order to clear enough space for the games, Boston would need to wipe out entire neighborhoods and reroute traffic throughout the city. The city already has a complicated network of roads, trains and subway lines; building Olympic routes would only add to the confusion.

The only conceivable area that Boston could build stadiums would be Hyde Park or West Roxbury. These neighborhoods are among the most hopeful in Boston and are undergoing rather rapid gentrification. If the Olympics were to come to town, this could interrupt or reverse many of the gains that have been made in these neighborhoods. Additionally, this part of the city is challenging to access by road and subway, so the Olympics would likely cause and extended traffic nightmare for the city.  

American Pleasant Weather

Areas with the Best Weather

A new interactive map was created today that charts weather across the country. It is designed to show which cities have the most pleasant weather. The map defines pleasant as an average daily temperature between 55 - 75, with no drop below 45 or heat above 85. There also must be no rain or snow. All five of the country's "best weather cities" are in California; Los Angeles tops the list with 183 days of pleasant weather each year.

If you are interested in seeing how your city stacks up, follow the link to the interactive map and type in your zip code! 

P.S. for those of us living in the Northeast, most cities register somewhere around an unfortunate 55 days of pleasant weather, a far cry from Southern California!

Is The Housing Bubble Back?

The Housing Market Roars Back to Life

2006 was a seemingly pleasant time for America. Sprawling subdivisions were popping up all over the country, home prices were surging and homebuyers were grabbing up properties at record rates with little to no money set aside for down payments. It seemed that prices would never stop climbing and that wealth would never stop growing.

Then came 2007 / 2008 and everything collapsed. Home prices plummeted, people found themselves owing more than their homes were worth and we were faced with nearly countless foreclosures. Neighborhoods stood abandoned; new subdivisions stopped mid-construction and America decided that we would never create another housing bubble again.

Welcome to 2014

For the past three years, housing has been making a strong comeback. Interest rates have been at record lows and home prices have been steadily rising. But after years of recovery, we may have inadvertently begun to create another bubble like the one that caused the housing crisis in the first place.

This government chart clearly shows the last bubble that was created. This measures the difference between home prices and rental units. More specifically, the light blue line measures what it costs to own a home while the dark blue line measures the would be cost of renting the same home. Between 2000-2006 there was a huge and growing gap between the cost of buying vs. renting. The financial crisis corrected this bubble and brought home prices more in line with historical averages.

Pay attention to the last centimeter or so of the graph. Sometime around 2011, the light blue line began to rise sharply in comparison the the dark blue line. If this trend continues it will indicate that homes are once again becoming much more expensive than renting.

Now here is another graph that is less technical, but perhaps more telling.

This one shows the median and average square footage of new homes. During the last bubble, new homes got larger and larger. It was the era of McMansions. After the crisis, home sizes fell significantly. But once again, home sizes began to creep higher starting in 2011. As of right now, home sizes have actually hit a new record. This means that the average home built today is larger than during the peak of the last housing bubble!

Be Careful America

Right now homebuyers are feeling quite excited. Prices are rising and interest rates are low. Things are looking pretty great. I'm not trying to put a damper on this excitement, but I think that it is important to be cautious. If we are not careful, this type of activity could quickly begin to re-inflate a real estate bubble. Try not to forget what happened last time. 

 

Women, Marriage and Prosperity

Why Poor Women Have A Harder Time Rejecting Marriage

Over the past several years, many Americans have seen their dreams put on hold. Individuals within our society often struggle just to keep afloat, despite the many things that weigh them down. Unfortunately for women, marriage, or rather, the lack thereof, has become one such weight.

It would be nice if love was the only factor in the modern marriage game, but unfortunately it is not. For women especially, socioeconomic status plays a huge role in whether or not a marriage will occur and why. Let me explain.

Sarah and Mary

Let's consider two women on opposite ends of the income ladder, Mary and Sarah. Mary is a successful lawyer who lives comfortably in a spacious Manhattan condo. Sarah is a single mother of two who works at a fast food restaurant and at a Walmart. Despite their hectic lives, both women fall in love. As her relationship gets more serious, Mary begins to contemplate marriage. She considers whether or not binding herself to a man will restrict her independence, slow her career progression or contribute in some way to a male dominated world. As Sarah contemplates marriage, she thinks of raising her two children on two incomes rather than one. For Sarah, the prospect of marriage could mean not having to worry about going to bed hungry.

Both women are in love, but their relative needs are quite different. The wealthy Mary has the privilege of considering marriage in an abstract way, and wondering how it may affect her future lifestyle. Mary has a lot of power in deciding whether or not to get married. Struggling Sarah on the other hand, sees marriage as a question of love, but also one of opportunity. Sarah's decision on whether to marry has an immediate and tangible affect on her own lifestyle and on that of her children. Effectively, she has less power.

Now of course, Sarah and Mary are completely made up. But their stories parallel the reality of being a woman in America. Without using a value-judgment, the fact remains that married women tend to have brighter economic outcomes than unmarried women. And for women floating around the poverty line, this matters a lot.

Compare the top line to the bottom line: married working woman vs. unmarried working woman. Think back to struggling Sarah and imagine the improvement in her life and her children's lives if she moves from the red line to the green line. Mary, who is already floating above the green line, does not care.

Judgment Free Reality

My goal here is not to claim that poor women should get married or that men should rescue women from their sad lives. These numbers are in many ways representative of the persistent and unfair gaps in pay between men and women. But regardless of how fair or unfair these numbers are, they are reality. Sure we can and should work to make changes here, but for right now, marriage is an important predictor in lifestyle.

When I said judgment free I lied, I do have one judgment before I close. Our society always teaches young girls to want marriage and to hope for it. Girls dream about their wedding days and plan them out for years. But what about young boys? Our society never tells boys that love is important. We teach boys to follow their dreams and make big changes in the world with their careers. For boys, love is taught to be an afterthought. Perhaps this is the real problem. 

Worcester Needs a New Highway

Bringing the Airport to Life

I want to begin this post by saying that in almost all cases, I think that the construction of new highways is not a good idea. I tend to think that highways are a waste of public funds that could be better spent on things such as public transportation. But, the city of Worcester is particularly unique in that it is currently not well served by highways. 

Worcester is the second largest city in New England, but it has a poor road network compared to other major cities. There is only one highway that runs through the city, I-290, and one that runs to the north of the city I-190. Most cities have the fortune of having highways that run through the city as well as a beltway that encircles the city. 

Worcester could benefit from a beltway loop for two reasons. The first is that currently, anyone who lives on the west side of the city is about a fifteen minute drive from an interstate. This dramatically increases commuting times and because there are no highways or viable forms of public transportation, main roads become unbelievably clogged in residential neighborhoods for hours at a time. If you live West of the city outside of the city limits, your commute is likely even more unfortunate.

The second reason is that Worcester actually has an airport which has started offering daily flights. The city has struggled for years to make it's airport a viable option, but it is largely ignored for airports in Boston and Providence. One major reason is that right now it is quite inconvenient to fly from the airport as it is difficult to access. If Worcester wants to expand it's airport and bolster it's economy, it must make the airport more accessible.

From the highway, it takes 13 minutes and several winding roads to find the airport when there is no traffic. And there is always traffic. Signs directing traffic are poor, roads are bumpy and it is just unpleasant trying to get to the airport. If Worcester has any chances of competing with customers flying out of TF Green or Logan, it needs to improve airport access.

Here is my proposal.

Beltway

Worcester should build an interstate, presumably named I-490, that would connect the Mass Pike with I-190. The route could go around the outside of the city through relatively undeveloped sections of Auburn, Leicester and Holden. It would link all three of these towns more readily to the Mass Pike and allow commuters to reach their jobs much more easily. These western suburbs of Worcester, and the west side of the city itself, could actually begin to expand just as communities to the east of the city have done.

But more importantly, it would link the airport directly to the mass pike. It would suddenly become convenient for residents of central New England to fly out of the Worcester airport. They would have easy directions and not need to worry about driving through the clogged city to catch a flight. I strongly believe that this would give a huge boost to the local economy.

America's Growing Social Consciusness

The New Age of Helping

Yesterday I wrote a bit about how McDonalds is losing favor with the American public due in part to it's poor treatment of employees. But I believe that this is just one small piece in a new and growing trend in our society. It appears to me that in a large sense, Americans are beginning to care about one another. You may not believe me or see this yourself yet, but I think this is just the beginning.

Sometime around 2008 something really fundamental changed here in the United States. For the first time in many decades financial hardship hit Americans and it hit them hard. Almost nobody was immune from the effects of the financial crisis. People who had worked hard for their whole lives saw their retirement savings dry up, people watched their neighbors forced out of their homes through foreclosure and many who never thought they would have to worry realized that they suddenly did.

It Really Changed Us

As so many Americans felt the ground shift beneath their feet, they began to realize, whether consciously or not, that they were perhaps more fortunate than they had ever thought. Those whose lives were not destroyed by the crisis realized that perhaps it was not money that determined someone's social value. Instead of building walls of class stratification higher and higher to hide behind, Americans have just started looking over the walls. 

Even as the economy has rebounded, news coverage still focuses on the less fortunate. Instead of ignoring the problems that plague poor Americans, we have begun to really look at them more critically. Restaurants such as Panera have experimented with "pay what you can" models and many other businesses have begun looking for ways to contribute more actively to society. At the same time, many states and even individual cities are pushing to raise the minimum wage so that more Americans can live with dignity.

At the same time, as was the case with McDonalds, Americans have begun to shy away from companies that treat workers unfairly. Fast food sales are dropping and customers are staying away from these stores in protest. Companies such as Walmart which are known for poor employee practices are also suffering in this country. Americans are demanding more equality and fairness. 

The Sharing Economy

One other sign of this growing trend is the rise of the "sharing economy." Essentially this means that people are opening up their personal lives a bit more to strangers around them. There are many companies that provide examples of this. Airbnb, for example, allows people to rent out rooms in their homes for short periods of time for vacationers. Aside from homes, people are sharing cars, food, space and even clothing with one another. 

Just the Beginning

This trend is only beginning to take root in America, but it has the potential to really shape the way that we exist in the world. We could end up becoming more like the socially inter-dependent countries of Northern Europe. But no matter what actually happens, we are in an exciting time where we have begun to think about some of the issues that matter the most.

Out with McDonalds

America's Faltering Love for the Fast-Food King

After decades of domination, fast-food companies are entering into a period of struggle in America. For years these companies: McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and others, have fattened American's bellies and lightened their wallets. But now for the first time, Americans have begun to fight back against these companies.

People are Fed Up

I mean this literally. Our bodies cannot tolerate many more big Macs and supersized sodas. Year after year Americans and consumers around the world consumed more and more sugary drinks and fatty foods. Obesity rates have crawled up and that has been an explosion of diseases such as diabetes. 

But in 2013 something changed. McDonalds same store sales in America actually declined for the first time ever. This means that despite low priced addicting food options, Americans visited McDonalds fewer times, and spent fewer dollars at this fast-food chain. 

But Why?

I personally can think of two reasons. One is simply that Americans are beginning to become more health conscious and realize that fast-food is literally poisoning them. The second reason though is far more interesting.

It has become clear to the majority of Americans that McDonalds has been taking advantage of it's employees. The company pays close to minimum wage for most employees even while raking in billions of dollars in profits every year. Then the company goes even further and mocks employees by creating "budget plans" for them like the one shown below.

This wonderfully thoughtful budget shows the way that a McDonalds employee would support themselves by working two jobs for about minimum wage. Working for about $8.00 per hour, it would take about 60 hours per week between two jobs to bring in this level of income. Not to mention that McDonald's assumes that it's employees need to spend $0 per month on heat!

Way to go McDonalds. 

The Silver Lining

It appears to me that America as a society is becoming more socially aware of the problems of other people. Rather than just focusing on ourselves, it seems that we are wanting more and more to help out others. Even the suggestion that feeling bad for McDonald's employees may decrease sales is a good sign. It shows that perhaps we are becoming reluctant to support a company that routinely takes advantage of it's employees. If we continue to put pressure on McDonald's, maybe they will even change their practices. 

What Your Drink Can Indicate About Political Preference

Alcohol and Party Ties

Sometimes statistical relationships can prove to be quite interesting. A new study by The Independent shows that your favorite choice of alcohol can be a strong indicator of your voting habits. They published a chart that shows the relationship between alcohol and liberal views as well as tendency to turn up on voting day.

One observation is that some drinks tend to reveal age. For example, drinkers of Jaegermeister or Don Julio are likely on the younger end of voters. These drinks are found towards the bottom of the chart, indicating lower voter turnout, which tends to make sense. On the other hand, drinkers of wine, who tend to be older, turnout more consistently for elections.

Republicans tend to drink dark colored alcohols while democrats prefer clear drinks such as vodkas or champagne. The study doesn't actually attempt to explain why this is so, but it is always possible to theorize. Despite these differences, it seems that rum, which is shown in purple, does not actually tend to suggest either a left or right leaning individual.

I find it particularly interesting that even though we may not be actively thinking about our political beliefs, we may accidentally reveal some information about our tendencies simply through ordering a drink. This is not to say that these relationships are foolproof or that drinking causes political affiliation, but it is nonetheless an interesting observation. 

America's Broken Dream

Chasing Money and Getting Lost

Once there was a dream. A dream of raising our children with more than we had, a dream of houses on cul-de-sacs, a dream of consumption: The American Dream. Anyone could be anyone; society preached of upward social mobility. For decades, we believed in this dream. We moved our families to the suburbs, worked long hours at work and expected that we could create our own idealized life. 

But did this make us any happier?

It appears not. 

We have now reached a time in this country where our traditional American dream is broken, and economic signs seem to indicate that there may not be a way of resurrecting it, at least not anytime soon. We could take this as a sign that our country is falling apart, but I think that it could provide a wonderful opportunity for us all. Rather than focusing on consuming more than our parents and living in a bigger house, why not focus on being happier versions of ourselves? Why not ask ourselves what really makes us happy? If we focus less on changing our socioeconomic group, maybe we could really all be a bit happier. Most of us have somewhere around 80 or so years to live, why not make the most of our time here?

I realize that this may seem counterintuitive. Doesn't an increasing standard of living make us feel more satisfied? Perhaps it could, but it often comes with sacrifices that we tend to overlook. I want to explore happiness in our society.

Seriously, there are several reasons that the American Dream is worth giving up. 

What Makes Us Unhappy

There are a variety of things that could contribute to happiness in a persons life. Surprisingly, money is less of a factor than many people think. Once we reach a certain middling level of income, money does little to increase our happiness. And sometimes chasing money can actually contribute to our unhappiness. At some point, the cons of more money often outweigh the pros. 

Commuting

One of the biggest factors influencing well being is commute time. People with longer commutes are more likely to be unhappy. The American Dream which has encouraged suburban home building has increased commutes for many americans over time. 

Commutes Over Time

Commuting and Happiness

Taken together, these graphs show exactly that. Over time commutes have increased for Americans despite the facts that commuting further tends to reduce satisfaction. 

Stress and Loneliness

When people are extremely stressed out, they are less likely to find time to nurture themselves. Whether due to full schedules or lack of energy, this also tends to lead to lack of social activity. People who spend less time socializing and more time stressing tend to be less happy.

This chart shows that as social time increases, so does feelings of happiness. People who work long hours in pursuit of larger and larger paychecks inevitably are left with less time to spend with others. The stress from extra work and the isolation from other people is certainly not a positive addition to one's life.

Now What?

So there you have it. Perhaps the American Dream is dead. Perhaps many Americans are dealing with stagnating wages and lifestyles and perhaps the homes that we raise our children in will be smaller than those we ourselves grew up in. 

But so what? Having more possessions cannot make us happier and I have pointed out a few ways that the dream that our society subscribed to actually may have reduced our collective well being. I urge you to reject the American Dream. Manage the money that you do have well, but do not let money become your biggest motivation in life.

Search instead for happiness and your world may become brighter even if your wallet becomes lighter.

50% of African American Men Arrested by Age 23

America's Broken Prison System

It's no secret in America that we as a society really enjoy sending people to prison for almost any crime. In fact, we have the highest incarceration rate in the world: 716 per 100,000 people. This leaves us with around 1.5 million prisoners, about 25% of the total for the entire world. It gets worse. 

The incarceration rate in this country has risen rapidly over the last 40 years and shows little signs of slowing.

Prison Inequality

Some people may be asking themselves if high incarceration rates are really such a bad thing and I could respond with an economic argument showing just how expensive prison is for society. But what appears even more telling to me is how society diverges on how to treat different groups of Americans. The picture above shows the huge disparity between incarceration for males and females. The ratio is about 15 : 1. This could mean that men commit more crimes, but it could also mean that men are treated more harshly by the justice system. 

Let's go further.

I titled my article with a statistic that I found shocking: 50% of black men are arrested by age 23. This is sadly true. If you don't believe me, you can check my sources here, here and here. If you are a young black man you are many many times more likely to find yourself in prison than a young white woman.

Percentage of Population Group Incarcerated

These numbers are so sad. If you were a black man who had not finished high school in 2008, there was a 37% chance that you would be in prison. Compare that to the .3% of college educated white men who were also imprisoned.

Set Up To Fail

Prison is in not helpful to prisoners in any way. A person serving jail time is taken away from their family, away from their job and forced to stop contributing in a meaningful way to society. Sometimes this prisoner may be a murderer, but sometimes they may be a person who shoplifted some food to feed their family.

Aside from the psychological harm that a prison term can cause, it further reduces the chances for success in our America. Think about it. When applying for a job there is always a question that asks about a criminal record and in most cases you are required to disclose everything that has happened in the last 7 - 10 years depending on where you live. If you are a 25 year old black man, there is greater than a 50% chance that you will have to say that you have been arrested. There is more than a 50% chance that your application will be put at the bottom of the pile. When given the choice, most employers would choose a candidate without a record over one with a record all else held equal. 

What else do we expect?

We say that in America everyone should be treated equally, but this is clearly not the case. There are so many ways that we hold people back in this country and incarceration is only one. We as a country need to take a stand and say that this is not fair. We need to give everyone a chance.

So please, stop putting everyone in jail.

2014: My Year to Connect

Connecting by Disconnecting

I have an unfortunate confession to make. For the last several years of my life I have lived inside of a trap. Day in and day out my loyal iPhone 5 has rested beside me and has alerted me anytime someone calls or texts, anytime someone posts a status on Facebook, a photo on Instagram or even changes their job title on LinkedIn. That's not to mention the minor pang of anxiety that accompanies the dull buzz of an e-mail. What's worse than the anxiety that comes with my phone is that which comes without it. Anytime I realize that I have become separated from this critical lifeline, I feel a seemingly unavoidable sense of panic until I am reunited.

I could spend an entire day surrounded with friends and family and realize that I had barely noticed them. I often would pay more attention to Facebook than to the faces of real people in front of me. The only way for me to capture a memory was to snap a photo on Instagram. 

I have decided that this is no way to live.

My Resolution

I spent the last couple of days of 2013 wondering what I might want to change in the new year and could not seem to think of anything of substance. Even though I am 9 days late, I have decided that this year, my main goal is to connect with those around me. Now I could issue some broad proclamation that I pledge to give up technology entirely, but that seems impractical and extreme. My goal is not to deprive myself of the modern world, but rather to achieve greater balance in my life.

This year I want to be more present and devote my attention primarily to whatever is in front of me. I want to free myself from the anxiety that comes with the need to feel constantly connected to my iPhone. And so I apologize to you in advance for all of your texts, calls and e-mails that I do not instantly respond to, for all of your cute photos and funny statuses that I do not immediately like; this year I will get back to you, but I pledge to take my time.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!

Hidden Costs of Commuting

How Commuting Hurts Us

In 2012 the average American spent about 25 minutes commuting to work every day each way. Some lucky Americans can get to work in 5 to 10 minutes, while others have to spend upwards of an hour commuting each way. Often we write off our commutes as something that does not matter and will not affect our quality of life, but this simply is not the case.

This map shows most of southern New England commute times. Lighter colors represent shorter commutes and tend to cover areas of cities while more suburban areas tend to be shaded by darker colors. Living further from the city center has a strong relationship with increased commute times.

Does Commuting Really Matter?

Yes. Let's do the math. If you are an "average" commuter you will spend 50 minutes per day moving from place to place. This may not sound bad on it's own, but if you extrapolate this over a typical 50 working week per year 40 year career, you have wasted 347 days commuting to and from work, the equivalent of almost an entire year. 

Long commutes also correlate with higher health risks. An article from The New York Times showed that longer commutes correlate with high blood pressure, obesity and cardiovascular disease. And interestingly enough, in Manhattan where people have some of the shortest and most active commutes, the average person weighs 7 pounds less than the average American. 

Just Think

Sometimes it is not possible to eliminate a long commute, but we often have more choice in our lives than we realize. Rather than ignoring the effect of a commute on your own personal well being, I ask that before making a decision about where to work or live, you at least consider how you will feel about spending so much time commuting every day. 

On Making Life Decisions

Life as the Endless Consumer

I think of the word consumer as bad. To me it stirs up images of McDonalds, obesity, crowded McMansions and televisions. I spend most of my time running from the consumer label, but the faster I run, the more I realize that it is impossible to escape. Almost every decision that we make has been commercialized; we have been segmented and targeted by unassuming men holed up in marketing departments. No matter what choices we make, we fit some sort of mold and the notion of individuality slips further from our grasp.

Everyday we must make decisions, some are easy and some are more challenging. We know immediately when we get out of bed that we will walk to the bathroom and brush our teeth with some Crest Toothpaste and then use our Keurig to make some Starbucks coffee. These decisions are almost thoughtless for us, but even these simple morning routines are representative of a larger commercialized reality.

Making Big Decisions

At this point in our society, some decisions still require active thought. I would categorize these as big decisions, things such as where to work and where to live. Granted, not everybody has the luxury of making such choices, but for those who do, they choices can be daunting.

Let's just consider the idea of choosing a place to live and imagine that it is an independent choice and that we can choose anywhere. You might at first be really happy that you have so many choices, but when you think more you realize that whatever you choose will come to represent you as a consumer. 

San Francisco, Paris, London, Sydney, Nebraska, Alaska, Hawaii: all of these places represent something different. You will have to think long and hard before you make a choice, but that choice ultimately will help to define you further as a consumer. 

Choice Creates Anxiety

Even choice itself is a paradox. We all think that we want more options so that we can make sure we choose something that's really the best, but when presented with a seemingly unlimited number of choices, we feel unhappy. The more options we have, the more likely we are to feel regretful for having not chosen a particular thing and the more we will worry about whether or not we are making the right choice. There probably is always a "best" choice, but finding it can elicit so much stress.

People are actually happiest when they have no choices because they are most willing to accept whatever the condition is that they are given. In many ways this runs counter to the notions of freedom and free will. So we cannot eliminate choices; to do so would run against the common will of our society. 

Searching for Happiness

So what do we do? Everyday new brands are created and more things are commercialized and as a result, the number of choices that we have is ever increasing. At the same time, our satisfaction is decreasing for the same reason. But an attempt to reduce choice may put us on the path towards an autocratic society. 

I believe that the main purpose in life is to find happiness. The more clutter there is in the world, the harder that happiness is to find. It seems that the key is becoming independent of consumerism, but I'm not sure that we as a society know how. 

End of the Exurbs

Bedroom Communities are Becoming Extinct

The last economic recession has exaggerated many already occurring trends within American society. As the real estate bubble collapsed and incomes fell, homeownership fell from Americans priority lists. For the first time, housing sizes started to decline and foreclosure rates ticked up. The insatiable search for cheap land far from cities upon which to build affluent communities came to a crashing halt. Suddenly and poignantly, exurbs fell apart.

This is a screen shot from Google Maps. This is a suburban development north of Atlanta. During the recession some houses were built and people moved in, but the community was never finished. The people who do live here need to drive upwards of one hour to reach downtown Atlanta. Scenes like this litter the country. 

People began to realize that it was not sustainable to live further and further from cities. Highways became increasingly congested and commutes lengthened. Suddenly it was no longer appealing to drive for two hours each day just to get to and from work. For this reason, three years after the end of the recession, these areas still remain unfinished. The American Dream has changed and far flung communities have fallen apart. Rather than being a part of a thriving commuter town, many who have remained in the furthest suburbs have found themselves living in quiet ghost towns. 

Here are some other pictures of communities that have been stopped dead in their tracks. These photos are screen shots from Google Maps of exurban Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Public Housing Complexes vs. Housing Vouchers: What's Better?

Why Housing Vouchers Beat Public Housing Complexes

One of the biggest problems that cities have tried to deal with over the last 50 years is what to do with poor residents. There are conflicting ideas about what to do here and the main objective is to reduce crime. Starting around the 1950's, common logic was to build huge towers and place needy families together, think Cabrini Green in Chicago. In this scenario, police knew exactly where the dangerous area was and could step up patrols. Several decades later, these complexes began to be replaced increasingly with voucher systems. Poor residents could live anywhere in the city and became more spread out, but police worried that they would not know where to look for crime.

Cabrini Green, Chicago

It turns out that breaking apart these mega-complexes such as Cabrini Green has been a good things for urban poverty. Despite the fears of middle and upper class residents about their neighborhoods being "polluted" with vouchers, crime rates have declined in cities that have closed their housing complexes and here are some reasons why.

No More Black Holes: Black holes are my nickname for housing complexes because that is how they behave. They literally capture all that is bad in an area and concentrate it all in one place. If you live in a housing complex, you ARE the housing complex. You live in a dangerous environment and everyone that you know lives a similar lifestyle. You have no hope for rising out of the cycle of poverty and are trapped. Simply taking people out of these concentrated bad areas does a lot to improve chances for successful lives.

Break Up Gangs: Say we have two gangs that are fighting for control of a complex. Suddenly, the complex is torn down and residents are dispersed evenly throughout the huge city. Now there are no more gang territories and any theoretical gang concentrations are bisected by blocks of middle and upper class residents. Rather than cities falling into despair as people worried, gang violence actually calms down. Many people are in gangs because they can't escape; creating physical barriers is one huge deterrent to gang retention and formation.

Better Schools and Role Models: This one is most important for children that are growing up in poverty. Living in housing complexes they probably attend school with others like them and are likely surrounded by uneducated people. Moving into a more affluent area, they can attend better schools, receive more attention from teachers and seek to emulate students who may have more support systems at home. Instilling positive images and thoughts into a child is one way to increase his or her likelihood of rising out of poverty.

What Makes a City Feel Safe

Safety from Environmental Clues

Walking through a city at night, most of us will not encounter any problems. Even in the most dangerous cities in America, violent crimes strike no more than about 2% of the population per year. But despite the fact that most people go about their day to day lives unharmed by criminals, some areas really just have "a bad feeling." Sometimes it is just our perception of a place that makes us feel as though it is unsafe; many "bad" areas actually have low crime rates. But what exactly is it about an area that can make it feel more or less safe?

It turns out, there are a lot of things that can make a perfectly nice area feel less safe. Take this picture for example. When I looked at this picture one of the things that stuck out to me was the uncollected trash; it looks rather foreboding. But no imagine the same view with no trash. Then I am apt to see a bike-friendly sidewalk in an open area. That feels like a much safer thought.

Now we will look at some specific examples of what makes a neighborhood feel unsafe.

Trash: As I already mentioned, trash is one of the biggest subconscious indicators of safety. When we see trash on the street we think two things. The first is that the people who live here are either rude or do not care about their community. Both of these things make us worried. The second thought it even more ominous. Uncollected trash is a sign of lackluster city services. If the trash man won't come, how can I be sure that police do? It's an anxiety laden trap, trash does not actually make an area less safe.

Feeling that an area is Lower-Class or Boring: Unfortunately in many people's minds, lower-class and boring go together. In a "boring" neighborhood buildings have similar designs and it is challenging to discern where exactly you are; no landmarks or notable buildings help to guide you. Wandering through an area that seems rather similar and nondescript you may think "why would anyone want to be here?" You assume that nobody makes the choice to be here unless they have to or are too poor to live somewhere else. You then think that because you are in an area that you perceive to be lower-class, your risk for becoming a victim of a crime rises. 

No Pedestrians: Seeing people walking around is comforting. When lots of pedestrians are roaming an area, we assume that it means that this is a tourist friendly area or simply an area where people feel comfortable walking around. We think that other people would not bother to walk if an area was really unsafe so we should not either. This is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy than anything. Foot traffic is not actually indicative of fewer crimes.

Distance from Starbucks: I'm serious, Starbucks seems to count, at least in my book. People tend to associate Starbucks with upper-class or tourist areas. If you are visiting a city and see a Starbucks, you know that you are in a nice area. But if you keep walking and begin to realize that you haven't seen your favorite coffee shop for several miles, you may actually begin to worry. 

This map took forever to find so I hope you appreciate it! But look. The touristy areas of DC, namely downtown and the Northwest quadrant are full of Starbucks. Wander into areas where you feel less safe, namely Southeast DC across the Anacostia River, and there is only one location!

Sprawl Makes Children Fatter

Sprawl and Obesity

Many decades ago, children could walk almost anywhere they wanted to go on a day to day basis. It was a short walk to school, to a friends house and maybe even to the park. Kids spent lots of time outside socializing and wandering from place to place with friends. Today this is no longer the case. Kids can hardly get anywhere without the help of a car. It's making kids gain weight.

The first study on sprawl and obesity was published in 2008 and it confirmed that residents who live in car dependent communities tend to weight more. One way to show this trend is the increase in school bus ridership. As school have become further and further from residences, children have needed to travel further and now about half of school-aged children ride the bus every day to get to school.

What do we do?

There is no simple way of solving this problem because really there are two problems, obesity and sprawl. The relationship between the two is not perfect; there are other factors which influence both sprawl and obesity. But one clear step that can be taken is moving people back into cities. Reducing dependency on cars increases walkability and decreases sprawl at once. However, even urban living does not really solve the problem. Some cities like New York and Boston are well suited for walking while others require you to use a car for almost everything even if you live downtown. 

Sometimes it is better to recognize that you have a problem before trying to search for a solution. These issues are complex and need to be fully understood before halfheartedly attempting to resolve them.