Here’s what happens when you slash public services

You mostly end up targeting the people who can least afford it. That’s social services, but also infrastructure such as bus lines and the link. Read this from The Atlantic Monthly’s CityLab.

Read “The Original Underclass”

Sharon sent this, a really interesting article from The Atlantic. While we cast about to define why so many white voters are drawn to Candidate Drumpf: The gloomy state of affairs in the lower reaches of white America should not have caught the rest of the country as off guard as it has—and mobilizing solutions …

Who won last night’s Democratic debate?

Pundits say it was a draw. This, from The Atlantic, is a pretty good take on last night’s debate between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. But what do you think?

Could you raise four children in a homeless shelter without spanking?

Read The Atlantic’s latest (and thank you, Kimberley, for sending it). From Olga Khazan: Cierra is also trying to yell less, she really is. But as any parent might attest, sometimes it’s almost like her kids don’t hear her unless she yells. Or maybe they just don’t want to hear. They seem to be acting …

In light of the horror in Paris:

Best thing I’ve read so far on the horrible attacks in Paris: “After Paris Attacks, Don’t Close Doors to Refugees — Open Them,” by Jesse Berney at Rolling Stone. And, if you can take the time, read this, “What ISIS Really Wants,” in The Atlantic. It’s long but worth it, and includes: The Islamic State, also …

Affordable housing can be profitable to developers

It’s a moral choice, and it’s profitable, according to this The Atlantic City Lab report. So what’s not to like? Check out the Inclusionary Calculator right here. And thanks, Kimberley, for the link.

Comparing housing to groceries isn’t such a bad idea

The Atlantic’s Daniel Hertz has written “Affordable Housing Would Be Much Fairer If It Were Treated Like Food Stamps.” An excerpt: While policies directed at making food more affordable surely are far from perfect, they have several key advantages over those that try to make housing more affordable. Most crucially, SNAP is funded through general …

Diana Butler Bass: Finding God in neighborhoods

Diana Butler Bass, one of my favorite writers, has a piece in The Atlantic about building communities. The article includes this: Building strong neighborhoods will not necessarily make the world a better place. Old Hope Valley was a very strong neighborhood, with thick history and meaningful ties. Thirty years ago, however, those ties created an insular …

Where we’re from

Check out some of the origins of immigrants in these American cities, from The Atlantic’s CityLab.

Where is America failing its youth?

You can read more here, at The Atlantic’s CityLab.