Author Archives: Patrick

“Small Town” Motorist Parks Illegally, Gets $50 Ticket, Plays the Yard Sale Card in Newspaper Instead of Paying $1.25 to Park

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Patrick

One of the most common topics within the Letters to the Editor section of the Chapel Hill News are various complaints about how various urban practices are ruining Downtown Chapel Hill.  Yesterday’s rant from Perry Deane Young complaining that parking … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapel Hill, Parking, Urban Habits | Leave a comment

Orange County’s Vanishing Middle Class

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Patrick

With the recent release of the 2009 5-Year Estimates for the American Community Survey, we know have a clearer picture of some of the socioeconomic characteristics of Orange County, and how they have changed since the 2000 Census. This post … Continue reading →

Posted in Affordable Housing, American Community Survey, Workforce Housing | 2 Comments

The Informal Markets of Carrboro: Part 1

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Patrick

One of the interesting things about living in Carrboro is the amount of informal commerce you can engage in compared to other places I’ve lived.  There are food trucks, the Really Really Free Market, and the informal market-made-community-institution, the Carrboro … Continue reading →

Posted in Carrboro, Economic Development, Land Use, Urban Habits | 1 Comment

Carrboro Continues to Lead NC in Public Transportation Commuting

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Patrick

Is it time to bring the really big buses into Carrboro? While this shot by Flickr user moonlightbulb was taken during the annual Chapel Hill / Carrboro holiday parade and not regular service, Carrboro may need to increase its transit … Continue reading →

Posted in Pedestrians, Public Transit | 2 Comments

Urban Habits: Shoveled Sidewalks, Please

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Patrick

I walked from Downtown Durham to Brightleaf Square on Thursday in between meetings to do some work at Parker & Otis. (they’ve got really good wifi in addition to all the good food) Here is a picture I took of … Continue reading →

Posted in Pedestrians, Urban Habits | 2 Comments