Congestion Pricing in New York: An Exploration of New York's Central Business District Tolling Program
An analysis examining equity, urban mobility, and the political economy of zone based road pricing; also known as “congestion pricing” in New York, the first of its kind in the country.
Policy Analysis | 2021 | 13 pages
Abstract: This analysis traces the history of the plan, examining why earlier attempts failed and what political conditions finally enabled approval, including rising environmental justice concerns. By exploring similar programs in other cities abroad, it evaluates the likely impacts on traffic, transit funding & finance, emissions, and socioeconomic impact. The analysis maps the complex web of stakeholders and their alignment, ranging from the transit authority and competing city/state executives to federal agencies, advocacy groups, and adjacent-state entities. It concludes that the plan’s greatest vulnerabilities are political, not technical: while the evidence for its effectiveness is robust, its history is one of policy windows rapidly opening and closing with shifting political winds.
Written in late 2021 prior to the plan’s implementation. The program has seen significant developments since, including its 2024 last-minute suspension and re-launch.
What I would add today:
- The tumultuous rollout of this plan in 2024–2025 represents one of the most dramatic policy reversals in recent US urban policy history, illustrating the “political vulnerability” thesis put forward in the analysis.
- The program was suspended by the governor just days before its planned launch in June 2024. Following the presidential election, a modified plan with a lower charge was approved, finally leading to the plan’s implementation in January 2025 within weeks of the presidential inauguration.
- The last-minute about-face highlighted the voices of the key stakeholders identified in the original analysis: political opponents at the state and federal level angling for a win during an election year, transit advocacy groups highlighting the human impact of service cuts due to lost funding, and MTA administrators fighting to keep planned capital improvement projects on track in the face of uncertainty.
Virtual Reality Sickness: A Review of Research on Sickness and Nausea Induced by Virtual Reality
A literature synthesis examining how hardware/software choices, interaction design, and human biology interact to produce discomfort in VR environments.
Research Review | 2019 | 7 pages
Abstract: This review synthesizes empirical research on virtual reality sickness (VRS): the nausea and physical discomfort commonly induced by VR devices. Drawing on studies across human factors, perceptual psychology, and HCI, it examines why some individuals are more susceptible, how hardware and software design choices amplify or reduce sickness, and what mitigation strategies are shown to be effective. A recurring theme across the literature is that VRS is fundamentally a design problem: sickness rates are shaped by decisions about user agency, modes of interaction, and interface design, not just by hardware specifications. The review concludes by identifying open research questions as consumer VR technology continues to evolve.
Written as an academic research review; reflects the VR hardware landscape as of 2019.
What I would add today:
- VR technology in 2026 is more firmly established in professional contexts like architecture and healthcare, where sickness and discomfort have different implications than in personal use. Beyond covering newly introduced models (Quest 2/3, Apple Vision Pro, the upcoming Steam Frame, etc) and their anticipated impacts, an updated review would also include new developments in VR environments and UI best practices, while also examining the VR accessibility and tech equity landscape in a post-COVID context.
(Update, April 2026) This blog section is under construction; content is still being migrated. Check back again soon!
