Andrew Zaleski

Andrew Zaleski

DC-based freelance writer Andrew Zaleski has written for Wired, Washington Post Magazine, Popular Science, Outside, Men's Health, and many other publications.

photo: Toxic lead paint peels from a window frame on a rowhouse in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Unequal Burden of Urban Lead

Decades after federal regulations banned the use of the deadly metal in paint, gasoline, and plumbing, the effects of lead continue to be felt across America’s cities.

  1. Andrew Zaleski
An illustration of a private train.

Let’s Buy a Train

If you dream of roaming the U.S. in a your own personal train car, you still can. But Amtrak cuts have railcar owners wondering if their days are numbered.

  1. Andrew Zaleski
A group of young adults making very silly faces. So called "adulting classes" have sprung up to teach life skills to Millennials.

I Took ‘Adulting Classes’ for Millennials

Inside the curious cottage industry devoted to teaching young adults how to act like grown-ups.

  1. Andrew Zaleski
A road repair truck for Domino's "Paving for Pizza" campaign.

Why Domino’s Pizza Is Fixing Potholes Now

Pizza delivery and infrastructure repair go together like ham and pineapple.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Why Are Newspaper Websites So Horrible?

The pop-up ads! The autoplaying videos!

  1. Andrew Zaleski
A maglev train on a test track outside Tokyo. A scheme to build a line between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., has been in the works for years.

The Battle of the Supertrains

Promoters are touting two different multi-billion-dollar high-speed projects between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Is it a fantasy, or a game changer?

  1. Andrew Zaleski

A $9 Billion Highway That Promises to Pay for Itself

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s “Traffic Relief” plan would add toll lanes to the state’s busiest thoroughfares. Does the megaproject’s math make sense?

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Bug Hunt

What’s the link between poverty, disinvestment, and mosquitoes?

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Baltimore Battles Its Bike Lanes

What happens when city residents go to war against cycling infrastructure?

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Why Boston Is Paying Ex-Gang Members To Go To College

The deal: $400 a week to stay in school. Is it worth it?

  1. Andrew Zaleski
A small wheeled delivery robot on the streets of Washington, D.C.

San Francisco to Delivery Robots: Get Off the Damn Sidewalk

A city lawmaker has proposed legislation banning autonomous delivery-bots. But the battle over who gets to use the sidewalk may just be getting started.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Cities Seek Deliverance From the E-Commerce Boom

It’s the flip-side to the “retail apocalypse:” A siege of delivery trucks is threatening to choke cities with traffic. But not everyone agrees on what to do about it.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

The Urban Drone Invasion is Nigh

Will unmanned aerial vehicles make city life easier, safer, or just weirder?

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Smith Island Is Sinking Into the Chesapeake Bay

Climate change threatens to drown the Maryland island.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

How Keeping Track of Slumlords Became One Baltimore Woman's Full-Time Job

Carol Ott spends her days publicly shaming bad property owners, despite hate mail and death threats.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Is Broadband for All Even Possible?

The District of Columbia is trying to bring high-speed internet to more of its residents. But it's much more complicated than anyone imagined.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

The Awesome Power of ToolBanks

A simple idea has exponential benefits for cities and communities.

  1. Andrew Zaleski

Do Passing Distance Laws Really Protect Cyclists?

Three and four-foot rules are springing up across the country, but their benefits are debatable.

  1. Andrew Zaleski