College Towns

College Towns

The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment
Your grandpa probably really did walk 5 miles to school in a foot of snow. A look at the changing numbers for how American students get to school.
 • Ryan M Allen
Celebrating the Timeless Allure of Tintin's Aesthetics
The Adventures of Tintin officially entered the public domain in 2025. We now all own the alluring aesthetics of this timeless classic.
 • Ryan M Allen
The Urbanism of the 'King of the Hill' Reboot
The cartoon show about a family in a small Texas town has a lot to say about the urbanism of our society, especially after a 15 year hiatus. Part I.
 • Ryan M Allen
Making an Intersection Unsafe for Pedestrians to Save Seconds for Drivers
How the redesign of a street in a walkable college town reflects our broader values for cars over people.
 • Ryan M Allen
No, You and a Couple of Friends Shouldn't Buy a Dead College
You will have to find another way to relive the glory of your college days.
 • Ryan M Allen
Where Have All the Trick-or-Treaters Gone on Halloween? Destination Neighborhoods
Urbanism and car culture play a role in eroding the holiday tradition, but so too has the consolidation of trick-or-treat to destination neighborhoods…
 • Ryan M Allen
9 Things I Noticed About NYC After Being Gone Since Pre-COVID
I left New York in 2019, but the city didn't stop when I was gone. It never does. Here are nine things I noticed on my return.
 • Ryan M Allen
Why Parents Tolerate Terrible School Car Pickup Lines
A tragedy strikes the my own community. We failed this boy and his family by placating drivers over everything else.
 • Ryan M Allen
Crisis by Design: Student Housing and the Hidden Cost of Higher Education
The rise of purpose-built student accommodations and commodification of studenthood in college towns.
 • Shanshan Jiang-Brittan
The 16% of Dangerous Drivers Dilemma
This small subset of drivers makes our streets even more dangerous.
 • Ryan M Allen
The Education and Urbanism of 'Dazed and Confused'
The perfect movie to end the school year, start the summer, or celebrate Memorial Day. Even the romanticized version of 1970s school life has a lot to…
 • Ryan M Allen
Buying a Dying College Isn't a Real Estate Investment
The saga of Rider U and Westminster Choir College show the complications of dying colleges as real estate assets.
 • Ryan M Allen
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