Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Economics

The Once and Future Auto Bailouts

By Anne Lutz Fernandez and Catherine Lutz | Jul 6, 2011 | No Comments

You’d think the Obama campaign had confused Michigan and Ohio with Iowa and New Hampshire. As his 2012 Republican challengers flooded early primary states last month, the President instead headed to where he could stand beside beaming auto executives and watch proud workers toiling on once-idle assembly lines. The Obama administration and the industry have […]

The Dangers of Touting the Job-Creation Benefits of Transpo Investment

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 1, 2011 | No Comments

Earlier this week, President Obama spoke to reporters at the White House. Fully aware of the growing concern in the country over the “jobless recovery,” Obama led off by talking about jobs – and pushing Congress to pass a transportation reauthorization. But was he using the wrong talking point? “Right now, Congress could send me […]

How Car Dependency Turns Suburban Dreams into Foreclosure Nightmares

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 7, 2011 | No Comments

According to an analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology of 2002 mortgage data, 250 people applied for mortgages every day in Chicago, and only 150 were approved. The top reason for rejecting the other 100? Applicants had too much credit tied up in car ownership. And mortgage lenders have only gotten more skittish since […]

New Report Examines the Media’s Role in the Gas Tax Debate

By Elana Schor | May 26, 2010 | No Comments

(Chart: University of Vermont Transportation Research Center) The success of state-level plans to increase gas taxes is tied to the media’s portrayal of the proposals in question, with narratives tied to "crumbling infrastructure" and "economic progress" showing more success than those emphasizing long-term transportation budget gaps, according to a new report released by the University […]

Tracing the Fault Lines Between Public and Private Transit Operators

By Elana Schor | May 25, 2010 | No Comments

Should private transit companies enjoy the same federal gas tax exemption that many public operators receive? How does the existence of private inter-city bus service affect the government’s development of new high-speed rail lines? And does it matter that private transit firms are eligible for public subsidies, even if at a much smaller rate than […]

U.S. DOT Proposes Giving Minority-Owned Firms Greater Shot at Contracts

By Elana Schor | May 7, 2010 | No Comments

Women- and minority-owned companies would have an easier time winning federal transportation contracts under a new rule released by the Obama administration today, which comes in the wake of complaints from social-equity advocates that such firms had received just 2 percent of infrastructure contracts awarded under last year’s economic stimulus law. (Photo: CA DOT) The […]

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