An alliance of defense contractor associations and military advocacy groups is calling for Congress to agree to a fiscal year 2017 budget deal before the end of the calendar year. The alliance, known as the Defense Related Associations, sent a letter Nov. 1 to House and Senate majority and minority leadership urging them to ignore the temptation to pass a stop-gap spending measure, or continuing … Continue reading Defense contractors plead for budget deal

Implicit in the work of all architects and urban designers is the idea that good design can improve human life. And now, a massive global study spanning 14 cities and 10 countries has put that idea to the test and found it true: a well-designed city can help keep people active and reduce rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Researchers monitored the physical activity … Continue reading Walkable cities are healthier cities, new study affirms

With fewer than 24 hours before polls open for the 2016 US presidential election, consider this your periodic reminder that e-voting machines expected to tally millions of votes are woefully antiquated and subject to fraud should hackers get physical access to them. A case in point is the Sequoia AVC Edge Mk1, a computerized voting machine that will be used in 13 states this year, including … Continue reading US e-voting machines are (still) woefully antiquated and subject to fraud

Poverty is deeply connected to the absence of stable, affordable housing. Sociologist Matthew Desmond exposes this connection in his new book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, an account of how poor families in Milwaukee struggle to pay the monthly rent and fend off eviction. Desmond’s insight is that these struggles are not just a consequence of poverty but a cause of it … Continue reading To reduce poverty, expand affordable housing