Chris Cunningham
econcunningham.bsky.social
Chris Cunningham
@econcunningham.bsky.social
Urban, Housing, Real Estate and Public Economics; former Fed Economist, Founder Citinomics.com; Syracuse grad, dad, hiker, living in Den Haag, NL.
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
lol the judge who disqualified lindsay halligan as us atty for edva included this footnote, citing a guy who agrees with him (or used to!?!?)
November 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Mind blowing stat. Does our crime rate inure us to vehiclure deaths, or vice versa?
November 21, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Many, many years ago I was an intern at the International Downtown Association and the consensus at the time was that pedestrianization of streets in the US had been a failure. And there were obvious examples of that like Pioneer Square in Seattle. What changed? Reduced car dependency? BIDS? Crime?
This has been documented far and wide. Close city centres to traffic and local businesses and quality of life will take off.
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
November 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Inflation is rising, data are sparse, tariffs may have lowered potential: hold.
November 19, 2025 at 10:36 PM
If this argument was actually credible they'd have published it in an Elsevier Journal.
November 19, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Just to pile on to the complaints about fire departments blocking single stairwell apartments, they also fight any narrowing of road ways. This project to drop a lane from a major Atlanta street was ready to go in 2021 but the Fire Chief blocked it for years.

www.midtownatl.com/project/pied...
Piedmont Ave Complete Street | Midtown Atlanta
Piedmont Ave Complete Street | Midtown Atlanta
www.midtownatl.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Love Wolfers, but this segment was a bit of a mess. First, the host seems confused about what a mortgage is. Second, Justin's position is-- I think--that transferrable mortgages are great but we can't change the terms on existing loans so it can't unlock the market and not an immediate solution.
Portable mortgages are like your cell phone plan: when you upgrade the phone, the plan comes with you. Let your mortgage follow you to the next house. That unfreezes movers—especially downsizers—and unlocks inventory.

Lemme explain why I love this idea:
"Portable" Mortgages Could Unlock the Housing Market, Says Economist Justin Wolfers
The Lead with Jake Tapper, CNN, November 13 2025 What happens when homeowners can take their old low mortgage rate with them to their next house? This conversation tackles the rising buzz around…
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:53 AM
I've been staring at this figure for a while. Even NYC is 70% car trips. Really want to know the European cities above 70. Given small circles I'm guessing Ghent and The Hague.
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
Senator Menendez is sitting in his cell at Allenwood right now because he took a 1kg gold bar from the Egyptians, among other forms of “lobbying.”
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.

How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.

www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:31 PM
So we're killing people that aren't carrying a substance that's not a chemical weapon. Got it.
Trump has destroyed all credibility in government departments. The latest one: the Justice Department classifying fentanyl as a chemical weapon to justify murdering civilians in small boats.

Words mean nothing any more. Neither does authority. We do what we want. Take or leave our excuse.
November 15, 2025 at 11:05 AM
It's just getting ridiculous: The American Soybean Association put out a statement thanking Mr. Trump for exempting fertilizers used in soybean production. Other industries protested being left off the exemptions list.
November 15, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
Randall Munroe, welcome to The War on Cars.
November 14, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
For the full paper
November 13, 2025 at 11:53 PM
It would be hilarious if incels breaking for Trump skewed the sex ratio against themselves.
Female flight risk quadruples abroad. #econsky
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups."
November 13, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Tax experts, how does the partnership structure affect income taxes? Does it also turn everything above the pay-out into a dividend? Can Bessent claim a carried interest deduction?
NYT: “.. Through that structure, Mr. Bessent avoided paying roughly $910,000 in Medicare taxes on money he made running his hedge fund in 2021, 2022 and 2023 ..”

@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
November 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
The government shutdown might’ve killed the December rate cut.

FED'S DALY: REALLY THINK THERE IS A PREMIUM ON WAITING TO DECIDE ON RATES UNTIL YOU HAVE AS MUCH INFORMATION
November 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Honey, I just sold my incredibly profitable mining equipment business to go prospect for gold in the Klondike.
November 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
This is great for spreading ideas and attracting fellow travelers ;) but the end goal needs to be getting back to a world where the kids just bike when and where they want and don't need to platoon and adult chaperones to protect them from cars on the way to school.
We’ve had a lot of fun on book tour but nothing brought a smile to my face quite like the Bike Bus. What a treat to start our day this way!
Pure joy on the Bike Bus this morning!
November 13, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
During public comment, someone asserted the fact that sales in the Market are slightly up year-over-year was evidence that the pedestrianized Pike Place is hurting businesses, because sales should be up MORE after the opening of the Overlook Walk.
bsky.app/profile/gord...
Good news: Sales at Pike Place Market were up 9.7% in September! That's four months of solid data showing the pedestrianization pilot is good for business.

Add your ideas for how to keep the momentum going this fall and winter: actionnetwork.org/letters/pike...
November 13, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Raphael was the best bank president I worked with. He will be difficult to replace, and I fear the FOMC will be poorer for his absence.
Bostic exits, Trump eyes Fed. #econsky
Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, will retire at the end of his term in February, opening up a new seat on the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee at a time that President Donald Trump is seeking to exert more control over the central bank.
November 12, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
The Friends of BLS are currently seeking organizational and individual support for our FY26 BLS Endorsement Letter and hope you will join us by signing on as an organization or individual.
#EconSky #NumbersDay
November 12, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
READ MORE about the emerging field of “bikenomics” in this article Chris wrote on the @dutchcycling.nl website: dutchcycling.nl/knowledge/ex...
DCE - Rethinking Transport Infrastructure Investment Through the Lens of Bikenomics
dutchcycling.nl
November 12, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Glad to have the baksfiet share back in service so Honey can get her hip shot and go to the beach!
November 12, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Sunday morning at 10:30 and the The Hague city services was out to empty to a full recycling vault. This is great infrastructure, but it also requires diligent service provision.
November 10, 2025 at 1:37 PM