Matthew Brian Hersh
Matthew Brian Hersh served as senior editor at Shelterforce from March 2008 to October 2012. He studied English at Rutgers University and has spent his professional career in journalism, policy, and politics.
A Big Easy Comparison, But How Similar?
“Katrina” is a loaded word, less associated with an actual hurricane than it is with catastrophic destruction from natural disaster, breathtaking flaws in effective...
Crackdown Rocks Real-Estate Industry
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that the Justice Department has indicted more than 400 defendants in 144 mortgage fraud cases. The indictments,...
The Russert Factor
How important was Tim Russert to presidential politics? Certainly he was a central figure in the news coverage in the 2008 cycle, and let’s...
So It’s Come to This?
Forget two-year presidential campaigns that raise hundreds of millions in donations. It’s back to basics time and it’s time to know your candidates. In an...
Awarded for Smart Growth
It’s an old joke, but in the development sense, the term “smart growth” is an oxymoron in many cases. There’s a reason why we...
It’s Your Moment Sen. Obama (It’s Ours, Too)
Let’s not kid ourselves: we have reason to be skeptical, tentative, wary, and yes, waiting to be inspired and swept away by someone America...
“Let’s Refuel America”
According to a report in The New York Times Monday, auto sales are down by more than a million compared to 2007’s 16.2 million...
Sustainability’s Bottom Line
Are our presidential candidates (yes, including vice presidential candidate Clinton) thinking about sustainable initiatives for environmental improvement, city vitality, and sound fiscal order? Or...
The Garden State Has a Tell, and Towns Are Calling the Bluff
New Jersey is set to go all 12 rounds in its battle to achieve a plan for an affordable-housing mandate, but at this point,...
Could High Gas Prices Have Positive Side Effects?
With The New York Times reporting an increase in mass-transit ridership as gas prices continue to climb, I’m reminded of my days as a...