Author Archives: urbanrenaissanceinst

Planners from hell – Crack up in Rio

Posted on September 21, 1997 by urbanrenaissanceinst

(September 21, 1997) At 3 a.m. on December 10, 1985, soon after the fall of Brazil’s military regime, government officials arrived at the homes of civil servants across the state of Rio de Janeiro, bundled them into vehicles and set off for a mission so secret that many of the sleepy participants, themselves, were kept in the dark. Continue reading →

Posted in Nation states | Leave a comment

Editorial – Maude and Conrad

Posted on September 21, 1997 by urbanrenaissanceinst

(September 21, 1997) In 1986, Conrad Black was down on his luck. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce — on whose board he sat — was treating him like some kind of deadbeat by calling in a $40 million loan to Dominion Stores, his foundering grocery store chain; the coursts had ordered Hollinger, a Black-owned company, to return some $60 million to Dominion’s pension funds; and rumors swirled of his imminent bankruptcy. Continue reading →

Posted in Regulation | Leave a comment

Discussion Group, The Blue Box conspiracy

Posted on September 21, 1997 by urbanrenaissanceinst

(September 21, 1997) Guided by the invisible hand of the soft drink giants, governments introduced curbside recycling to the environment’s sorrow. Continue reading →

Posted in Regulation | 4 Comments

Discussion Group, Every car a cab

Posted on September 21, 1997 by urbanrenaissanceinst

(September 21, 1997) Taxi regulations take consumers for a ride while exploiting drivers, clogging our cities, and promoting suburban sprawl. Continue reading →