2024 02 05
One of my favorite things in life is, any opportunity I’m given to do so, bragging that I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker. It is a large, imposing book. It is also an amazingly detailed, informative (esp for urbanist nerds but also full of great general human stories), and well written.
I recently stumbled upon this video below while browsing YouTube and pondering if I will finally start up my own channel after years of contemplating it. This video both got me excited to finally crack Caro’s four book LBJ series (I just have to do this — book review to follow in approx. twelve years time) and start my own YouTube channel… not for social media fame but simply for the motivation to make new stuff and put it out there. There are so many pages that just exist, filled with great content and not many views. While I imagine this is turnoff for most content creators, I love the idea of consistently making work, largely for myself, grinding away in true Robert Caro style, and putting it out there for people to discover, or more likely completely ignore.
-Clayton
Street scene I stumbled upon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck
One consistent thing in life is, any opportunity I’m given to do so, bragging that I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker (have I mentioned I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker? Every last word of it!). It is a large, imposing book. It is also an amazingly detailed, informative (esp for urbanist nerds but also full of great general human stories), and well written.
I recently stumbled upon this video (below) while browsing youtube and pondering if I will finally start up my own channel after years of contemplating it. The video both got me excited to finally crack Caro’s four book LBJ series (I just have to do this — book review to follow in approx. twelve years) and start my own youtube channel… not for social media fame but simply for the motivation to make new stuff and put it out there. There are so many channels that just exist; they are filled with great content but not many views. While I imagine this is turnoff for most content creators, I love the idea of consistently making work, largely for myself, grinding away in true Robert Caro fashion, day in, day out — shoot, edit, post, repeat — and putting it out there for people to discover; or more likely completely ignore. Sometimes it’s the process that has the most value.
-Clayton
2024 01 03
Steubenville, Ohio topped out around 38,000 people in the 1940s. Today, roughly 18,000 people live here — a loss of over half the population from its peak almost a century ago.
I have no magic takeaway from these stats but a desire to see America’s Rust Belt re-filled with people. Trends, however, are tough to fight against. To succeed in business you have to go to where the people are. To run a city you have to maintain your infrastructure. With a shrinking tax base, this math becomes impossible to manage very quickly. Its hard to blame people for moving to new southern cities, where budgets are flush and the crafty and connected are able to more easily fill their coffers.
Cheap home prices help, but there needs to be an additional catalyst to get enough people motivated to move back to these rusty towns and refill their full potential.
If elected mayor, I pledge to Make Refurbishments Exciting Again. A ribbon cutting for every alley repaved. A fish fry for every sewer line replaced.
Enjoy.
-Clayton
Downtown Steubenville, Ohio. November, 2023. ©Clayton Hauck
Steubenville, Ohio topped out around 38,000 people in the 1940s. Today, roughly 18,000 people live here — a loss of over half the population from its peak almost a century ago.
I have no magic takeaway from these stats but a desire to see America’s Rust Belt re-filled with people. Trends, however, are tough to fight against. To succeed in business you have to go to where the people are. To run a city you have to maintain your infrastructure. With a shrinking tax base, this math becomes impossible to manage very quickly. Its hard to blame people for moving to new southern cities, where budgets are flush and the crafty and connected are able to more easily fill their coffers.
Cheap home prices help, but there needs to be an additional catalyst to get enough people motivated to move back to these rusty towns and refill their full potential.
If elected mayor, I pledge to Make Refurbishments Exciting Again. A ribbon cutting for every alley repaved. A fish fry for every sewer line replaced.
Enjoy.
-Clayton