News
Studio: Newark’s EWR Transit-Oriented Community
The Graduate Planning Studio of Spring 2025 is essential because it marks a significant shift in how Dayton and the South Ward of Newark are recognized within the broader regional transit network. Historically, these areas were invisible regarding transit access and public investment.
Could absence of party line lead to primary election surprises?
“I would say the two most notable impacts so far are that so many Democrats and Republican candidates, including pretty legitimate candidates with a shot at winning, [are] choosing not to go for an endorsement. That would have been unheard of before,” said Rubin, an associate dean at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Stamato Commentary: Rocking the boat for democracy: Public media, under siege
Of course, the Trump administration is determined to end public support not only for PBS, but for NPR as well. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives and distributes over $500 million in taxpayer money to public TV and radio stations annually. Eliminating millions of dollars in federal funding to the two public media organizations amounts to a significant threat.
Research from Ralph: The Deal Breaker Theory of Cycling
Most locations across the world have a large un-tapped pool of people who do not bike at all and an even larger pool who do not bike for transportation. To increase cycling, we must better understand this group and the reasons they do not ride. I propose a new theory that suggests everyone has a list of “must-haves” that must be in place before they will bike. While there are many possible cycling needs, I introduce five in this paper: Safety, Comfort, Relative Convenience, Availability of Tools, and Social Approval.
Candidates for NJ governor are using AI in their ads in new ways
“There are a lot of people who are more than happy to use AI for entertainment,” Samuel said. “But when it comes to decision making, a lot of people go back to fundamental information based, fact-based decision making.”
House SALT proposal would raise cap on deduction to $30K, but some Republicans balk
The Republican tax plan in the U.S. House would raise the cap for the state and local property tax deduction from the current $10,000 to $30,000 for families making up to $400,000. That’s according to legislation released May 12 by the Republican-led House Ways and...
Smart weighs in on possible NJ Transit rail strike
As talks continue between #NJTransit and its rail engineers' union to try to avert a walkout by the union at midnight on Thursday, professor Mike Smart weighed in on the looming issues with the WABC7 Eyewitness News Mornings @ 10 team.
NJSPL: Snapshot of NJ Undergrad Degree Earners
According to the report, more than 59,300 students in New Jersey earned an associate or bachelor’s degree during the 2023–2024 academic year—a 0.5% decrease from the previous year.
This year, the NJ primary is actually competitive for a change. Get out and vote | Opinion Julia Sass Rubin
New Jersey’s lack of competitive primaries was one of many negative consequences of the county line primary ballot. Candidates who did not receive preferential ballot positions on the county line tended to drop out, leading to choiceless primaries reminiscent of elections in the former Soviet Union.
First-Generation Rutgers Alumni National Leaders in Senior Care
Phil Scalo and Roberto Muñiz influence with compassion the care of millions in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and affordable housing for seniors, as well as others in need of aging services.
Academy Bus is paying NJ Transit over alleged fraud. But it still gets contracts
“Why didn’t anybody else bid?” Pfeiffer said. “Was there anything about the (request for proposal) that would have turned off the other bidders? Is this the best way to contract for this service if you only have one bidder?”
Senator’s Probe into Corporate Landlords in Georgia Echoes National Scrutiny of Institutional Investors
A 2024 paper by researchers Taylor Shelton of Georgia State University and Eric Seymour of Rutgers described “tangled webs of corporate property ownership which are to deliberately obscure the true ownership and concentration of such property from public view.”












