City Observatory
Original research and commentary on what matters for city success.
- Reposted by City ObservatoryI was just denied entry to the Dilley detention facility while my constituent, seven-year-old Diana, remains inside. What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there? I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryWatch the full clip. In short, Wolfers says we are not talking about what future generations are going to lose as a consequence of Trump's sabotage of institutions, because our news media is not designed to ask those questions. He says we need to ask them.
- Wolfers: This is the most interventionist government of my lifetime. It’s the least conservative government of my lifetime. When you are the richest country in the world, maybe you are not the ones who should be tearing down your existing institutions. But that’s exactly what this president is doing
- Testimony to OTC: Here's something your staff should have told you 2 years ago: The Interstate Bridge Project is going to cost double what we've been told. IBR has been saying would cost $5-7.5 billion, it will actually will be double that: $12.2-17.7 billion. cityobservatory.org/cortright_ot...
- A new cost estimate for the Interstate Bridge is always just a few months away. Here's OPB in January of 2024, *two years ago*: Last September, IBR promised a new estimate in December, now they say March is "the best they can do." Reality: Cost has more than doubled to as much as $17.7 billion.
- Reposted by City ObservatoryAbsolute banger of a comment on r/military: www.reddit.com/r/Military/c...
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- You love to see it. Finally, the interstate bridge project's arrogance and deceit gets some media attention.
- The Interstate Bridge Project say the $17.7 billion cost in internal documents is "just a draft," but "IBR program officials did not dispute the 11-figure cost estimates that drew headlines, and Francis conceded the estimates and underlying document were 'robust.'" djcoregon.com/news/2026/01...
- It beggars belief that after 6 years and $273 million spent on consultants, Interstate Bridge officials can't confirm w/in a few billion dollars how much it will cost. "Maybe by March, but "no firm commitments." "That is the best I can offer you" www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/p...
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryOpenAI has absolutely zero ideas. They have no business. This is not a real business line and it’s so utterly vague and specious, I’m shocked at the credulousness to just print it without saying “there is no logical way this works of course” or talking about how the CFO of OpenAI is saying nonsense
- Back in 2013, the Coast Guard issued a bridge permit for the Columbia River Crossing. That didn't ever get built, either--because nobody could come up with the money to pay for it. The $17.7 billion cost of the Interstate Bridge project is a price no one will pay. www.kgw.com/article/news...
- The Interstate Bridge Project just dodged one bullet--it now has US Coast Guard permission to build a fixed span 116 foot bridge. www.kgw.com/article/news... But, reality check: it is at least $10 billion short of the $17.7 billion the project would cost. www.wweek.com/news/state/2...
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- Reposted by City Observatorylol this project is dead. Again. What a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars planning this thing. Same mistakes as the CRC. Just gobsmacking hubris and incompetent leadership.
- For the past two years, the Interstate Bridge Project has known its costs were going up. It has repeatedly hidden & delayed releasing new cost estimates. Now we know why: Max cost has risen from $7.5 to $17.7 billion. As we wrote last month: cityobservatory.org/17-7-billion...
- The IBR will cost as much as $17.7 billion, more than double the previous max. cost of $7.5 billion, according to documents unearthed by City Observatory. cityobservatory.org/17-7-billion...
- Cost of Interstate Bridge more than doubles to $13.6 billion, and could go as high as $17.7 billion, according to new estimates. IBR officials have delayed and hidden these new estimates for the past two years. www.wweek.com/news/state/2...
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- Reposted by City Observatory“It’s pretty devastating. It’s not like there’s not some money out there. We’re just spending it on cars.” - NMF co-founder @chrissmith.us in @wweek.com, on @trimet.org’s cuts, and the failure of Oregon th prioritize existing bus service over freeway expansion www.wweek.com/news/2026/01...
- Reposted by City ObservatoryThe pricing means that taking a Citi Bike will become, for a lot of people, the transportation choice of last resort, such as when there's a subway meltdown or it's 20 minutes before the next bus arrives. That's not at all what the city should want. It should be a seamless part of people's choices.
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryI see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%). Lay article attached:
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- Reposted by City Observatorythis is incredible stuff. most state DOTs would spend tens of billions on highway expansions to try and see numbers like this (that wouldn’t even pan out anyway thanks to induced demand lol)
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- IBR: Still hiding--and lying about--coming billions in cost overruns cityobservatory.org/ibr-still-hiding-an…
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- ODOT's systemic financial crisis cityobservatory.org/odots-systemic-fina…
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryImportant, exciting research — air pollution dropped 22% in NYC's congestion relief zone within the first 6 months of #CongestionPricing (with reductions in the surrounding neighborhoods, too) Cleaner air, better transit, great data — all thanks to #CongestionPricing!
- Reposted by City ObservatoryOur new study provides rare causal evidence about NYC’s speed camera program. We find large reductions in collisions (30%) and injuries (16%) near intersections with cameras. www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... @astagoff.bsky.social ky.social @brendenbeck.bsky.social nbeck.bsky.social 🧪
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryCalifornia Air Resources Board: "To achieve climate goals, we need less driving" Transportation Researchers: "To reduce driving, we need fewer lane miles" Caltrans: "We need billions of dollars to keep widening highways." California Legislature: "You got it." usa.streetsblog.org/2025/12/02/o...
- Oregon's climate fail cityobservatory.org/oregons-climate-fail/
- This is AI: braddelong.substack.com/p/wetware-ha... Using a roiling boil of 3000-dimensional linear algebra to output the word-sequences I hope will please the human, w/o having any idea what the words mean, 'cos I have zero world model & understand neither events nor time nor duration as concepts.
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryEx-official explained this in a way that will stick with me forever: Within fire departments, the EMTs are overworked and underpaid and don’t have time to advocate for policy. The fire chiefs, on the other hand, have a lot more time on their hands. So fire response, not medical, dictates policy.
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryInteresting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu. Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
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- Train Wreck: Will transit sink the Interstate Bridge Project? cityobservatory.org/train-wreck-will-tr…
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- Reposted by City ObservatoryRidership on Paris region transit systems is now generally at or higher than pre-pandemic levels. Bike use is much higher than pre-pandemic. At the same time, car traffic in Paris and on its ring highway is substantially lower than it was pre-pandemic. www.institutparisregion.fr/mobilite-et-...
- $5 billion for Baltimore's Key bridge? Hold my beer, says @oregondot.bsky.social, the Interstate Bridge Project is gonna get to $10 billion. Key Bridge rebuild could top out at $5.2B, memo shows - POLITICO share.google/FL1Swk17AF3r...
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- Now do cars. Headline: DC is slowing down scooters and e-bikes to make roads safer. search.app/8jeNG
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- Happy exploding whale day to all those who celebrate! 55 years ago today, OregonDOT dynamited a whale carcass to achieve lasting infamy. Today @oregondot.bsky.social celebrates by blowing up budgets with billions in cost overruns on its highway projects. cityobservatory.org/reign_of_err...
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