Covering commercial real estate for the @PhillyInquirer. Formerly of @Governing, @NewStatesman, @WHYY and @PlanPhilly.

Philadelphia
Joined February 2009
I wrote a piece for @TheAtlantic this weekend about why the I-95 rebuild went so well, and why it may not be applicable to other major infrastructure projects. theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv…
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
Most people should read that 16K-word article (and watch the film, of course). Absolutely vital reporting: texasmonthly.com/interactive…
Believe it or not, I am aware of the fact that most people won't read a 16,000 word article about an actual blood-and-bullets war over water in the Rio Grande. So we made a 30-minute film. The filmmakers at TM Studios did an incredible job: youtube.com/watch?v=PBaMGnxt…
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Front Street Cafe sold to the D.C. restaurant group that owns the acclaimed Tiger Fork ebx.sh/VygM9h
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West Oak Lane tenants will get rent forgiveness and refunds in a record-breaking settlement with their landlord ebx.sh/Q5DjP0
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
the second most popular movie in theaters right now is a three hour long documentary
People are losing the attention span to even watch 30 minute TV shows as short form video eats the world.
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"Both the AI companies and the Fed are desperate for goodwill and credibility. If mortgages cost 15% and hyperscalers are still spending like there’s no tomorrow, people are going to be very mad at both of them." semafor.com/article/10/20/20…
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“He ticks off grievances that include inflation, war in Iran and the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbying group. The final betrayal, he says, was Republicans’ inclination to protect the rich and powerful rather than prosecute those named in the records of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. …he recommends making friends with people who are stocking up on beans, rice, gold and silver and raising chickens. “Those are the people that are actually paying attention to what’s actually happening,” he said.” bloomberg.com/news/features/…
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One of the grossest trends of the past two decades has been how billionaires are convinced they are victims in our society, that the little people are doing them wrong.
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"While the data show enough parking, the report acknowledges that 'parking is an emotional and highly subjective experience for most users,' and that just as important as data is 'how parking in a community is perceived.'” inquirer.com/news/pennsylvan…
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
how did @danielkolitz become the most-talked about magazine writer today? by reading voraciously, going to at least (2) critical parties, simmering away at a PR day job, and not a little bit of agonizing over The Longform Podcast.... deezlinks.com/p/i-would-not-…
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
I actually think Netflix is suffering right now for the opposite reason. From the newsletter yesterday:
People are losing the attention span to even watch 30 minute TV shows as short form video eats the world.
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Elon Musk has spent more money on American elections in the last two years than George Soros has in his entire life.
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Nobody better to place the current French internal conflict in its historical context than Julian Jackson, historian of 20th-century France, whose wonderful biography of De Gaulle is the basis for the two-part biopic engelsbergideas.com/essays/f…
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
I've been in France since 2002 and have never seen the streets so violent nor the politics so extreme. From the sacking of the supermarket on my street to the prospect of Présidente Le Pen, here's me @FT including thoughts from 2 French Nobel laureates as.ft.com/r/addcad57-0f9d-4e…
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
Whenever I call for enforcement on transit, I get replies saying that people should just the offender to stop. Then when people are killed or maimed after doing it, people respond to the news articles saying they should have minded their business.
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Nearly every home in America had a complete works of Shakespeare, as discussed in this book which everyone should read
Replying to @SketchesbyBoze
What percentage of people in the 1800s do you think could have properly read Shakespeare?
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Jake Blumgart retweeted
I visited MLK Community Hospital in South LA, the only safety-net hospital serving poor patients in the area. The ER was built for 25k patients a year; it gets 120k. I saw patients treated in the gift shop, the chapel, in tents, even outdoors. prospect.org/2026/10/23/heal…
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