In a Russian Mirror

A Cold War Memoir in the Form of a Travelogue

How I Became a Street Catholic

I have gradually come to realize I’m a “street Catholic.” That is, I’m on the outside now and yet still…

How to Transform the Neighborhood

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Even the most successful cities at some point or another face the question: How…

Test Runs for the Next Social Contract

Review of Nathan Schneider, Everything for Everyone (Nation Books, 2018)

The Search for a Christian Socialism

With the ghost of the visionary William Morris hovering somewhere in the background, The…

The Best Reason South Bend Should Be Famous

It’s a stroke of luck when your small city has national…

What is Eutopian Thinking?

One of my favorite memes from a few years ago was a woman standing with a sign reading “Rethink everything.”

Will Our City Just Fade Away?

The election is on top of us now and Covid dominates the news as well. But I’m trying to think about the…

The Exodus and Apocalypse All in One Human Flow

The Trouble with “Smart Cities”

When I hear the term “smart cities,” I think of Fritz Lang’s dystopian film, Metropolis. The 1927…