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Household sizes are decreasing That alone doesn't suggest we're gaining households, not enough of them to alter the housing market. And migration data suggests we aren't gaining many households at all. And yet we hear of home values skyrocketing, of buyers showing up with sacks of cash the moment homes go on sale. Who are these people? I wish they'd open some businesses here, with their sacks of cash.

If population keeps going down, why does real estate keep going up?

Media businesses used to sell our attention, acquired in exchange for desirable content. Nowadays we provide the content and the book reads us.

I hate to give Trump credit for anything, so I won't. But Obama removal has something to do with this. There was concern about relocating in the medical sector because of uncertainty about what could happen vis a vis government control. It's no secret that if there were to be a de-privatization, NE Ohio would suffer in favor of areas with more direct political clout: i.e. powerful Congressmen or proximity to existing public sector centers of influence. Rochester, MN (Mayo) would also suffer. While this remains a long term issue, short term not so much. It's by no means the main factor but it's a factor. I think what you're suggesting would apply more to centers of insurance and payment processing, rather than actual health care and research. And recall that during the election Trump was more open to single payer than was Clinton.

Public Square looks pretty vibrant back then.

Carjackers vs vigilantes. The vigilantes prevailed and will not face felony charges. http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/index.ssf/2018/03/county_prosecutors_say_trio_wh_1.html

No, there isn't. But in this case the means in question should not have been available. A major city's zoning code should allow for normal urban developments to go forward without requiring variances. Different story if the proposal was for a slag heap or the site was in Grafton.

What were the grounds for the lawsuit?

You'd have to look further back. Their growth tracked closely with the decline up north, which began in the 60s. I was in the industry around 2000 and Nashville was already a major hub. Its housing market is just now catching up to its employment market. The employment boom already happened.

If accurate, hardly shocking. Right?

Automotive and all the spinoffs from it. You need that blue collar employment base to support whatever else you want to do as a city. We always talk about moving on from heavy industry. The south doesn't talk like that. There was a Nashville conversation here a couple weeks ago and I did a little research. Since then, ads promoting industry in Tennessee are still chasing me around the web. They think it's insane to give up on their industrial base, instead they're ramping it up.

I'm not sure it works on paper either, if the result is artificially inflated home values. There are two sides to every "easy money" scenario because typically money is not easy.

Yes. Home rule could be overcome here on similar grounds, and because East Cleveland's problems have extraterritorial effects.

There is precedent for the state simply dissolving a municipality, even when voters there opposed it. A new legislative act may be required but that's not insurmountable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rome,_Ohio

Right now there are radio ads telling people they can make "thousands in passive income" without lifting a finger.

It's not always a choice. I agree about promoting compact urban forms but some of this is a function of smaller cities losing their employment bases. In that regard Warren is probably even worse off than its population losses indicate. Not everyone can just up and move as soon as they're forced to take a job that might be two hours away.

This is the main barrier to consolidation all over the region, not just in Parma. It's the reason East Cleveland still exists. But Parma is bigger so the problem is bigger there. At least the current mayor is somewhat of an outsider.

422 between Warren and Cleveland sees a lot of commuter traffic. Sometimes there are even rush hour backups in Amish country.

Yeah, in my eyes it's not a close comparison. The prewar buildings are dramatically more diverse and artistic than what came after. In some ways this is all subjective but certain aspects of it do seem measurable. A blank sheet of cladding is a blank sheet of cladding, while an elaborate sculpture is an elaborate sculpture. They are objectively dissimilar. If you happen to prefer the former... OK. But don't tell me nothing's been lost.

It really didn't though. There was a lot of variation and detail back then. This new stuff would all be blank slabs of sheeting if we allowed it, featureless the first year and then stained with rust trails forever after. What you're seeing here is the compromise, which is almost a mockery of traditional variation and detail.

The first Avengers and the second Captain America were both filmed here. Marvel's "Battle of New York" happened at East 9th and Prospect.

I don't think Tesla builds any loss leaders like the Chevy Cruze. Everything they make is high-end and high-profit. They don't even really have a competitor in their market segment. If they're losing money it's not for lack of trucks.

Science fiction has never been SJW-free. The concepts go hand in hand. Those "bold advances" are often just storytelling devices allowing the author to deal with mundane issues through metaphor. Star Trek is credited with inspiring personal computers and cell phones, but it was also infamous for blunt social commentary. Warnings about an unequal future go back at least as far as HG Wells.

I agree, but the trend in recent years has been eye-popping appreciation. Not 100% clear why.

It almost happened 15 years ago. I was in it at the time. Why buy a single ounce of steel from a US producer when it's so much cheaper not to? And unlike other types of business equipment, a blast furnace cannot be restarted after it's shut down. There is an absolute need to keep them hot or they collapse.