The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Who said it?
Oh Baby
Ranked Choice
Modern Science
100
This infamous highway planner whose name adorns both a state park and a causeway on Long Island
Robert Moses
100
"I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died." (August 14, 2026)
Luigi Mangione 😍
100
Anxious about his new baby brother Dil, Tommy Pickles and his toddler friends try to return him to the hospital using a makeshift Reptar wagon but get lost in a dangerous forest in this movie.
The Rugrats Movie
100
Population: Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Phoenix (AZ), Rochester (NY)
1. Chicago (2,746,388)
2. Phoenix (1,608,139)
3. Boston (675,647)
4. Rochester (211,328)
100
The CEO of OpenAI
Sam Altman
200
Coined by Jane Jacobs in her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, this urban planning concept suggests that city streets are safer when pedestrians, residents, and shopkeepers naturally observe public spaces from the sidewalk and windows
"Eyes on the street"
200
"What I really appreciate about the president is the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, of which there are many, [but instead] focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers" (November 21, 2025)
Zohran Mamdani 😍
Zohran Mamdani
200
This is widely understood to be the least common birth date in the United States (other than February 29).
December 25
200
Surface area: Great Salt Lake, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario
1. Lake Superior (31,700 sq mi)
2. Lake Huron (23,000 sq mi)
3. Lake Ontario (7,340 sq mi)
4. Great Salt Lake (950 sq mi)
200
The parasite responsible for a recent multi-state outbreak of intestinal infections
Cyclosporaisis
300
Cayley and Greg just bought a 2-story, 2,400 gross square foot house that sits on a 17,400 SF lot. What is the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of their property? (calculators are permitted)
2,400 GSF /17,400 SF = 0.14 FAR
(FAR is a common metric used in municipal zoning codes to regulate development)
300
“Before I say thanks to god, I'm going to say, ICE out. We're not savages, we're not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.” (February 1, 2026)
Bad Bunny 😍
300
The U.S. is one of a few countries without a paid parental leave policy. Instead, new parents that meet certain conditions can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid time under this 1993 federal law.
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
300
Scoville units: Anaheim, jalepeno, serrano, habanero
1. Habanero (100,000 to 350,000)
2. Serrano (10,000 to 25,000)
3. Jalepeno (4,000 and 8,500)
4. Anaheim (500 to 2,500)
300
A class of prescription medications that mimic a natural gut hormone to help control blood sugar and reduce appetite (acronym NOT accepted)
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)
400
Defined as the final, most expensive, and least efficient stage of moving goods, people, or data from a central hub to a final destination, this concept is often used in planning to describe the challenge of getting transit riders from their main bus or rail stop to their home or workplace.
The last mile problem
(Micromobility options like City Bikes are often a solution to this problem)
400
"I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this any more'." (February 24, 2026)
Timothee Chalamet (formerly 😍 now 🤢)
400
The extraction of eggs to be frozen and/or used in IVF occurs during this phase of the menstrual cycle, when one's ovaries house immature eggs.
The follicular phase
400
Age at death: Abraham Lincoln, Jimmy Carter, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan
1. Jimmy Carter (100 years)
2. Ronald Reagan (93 years)
3. Theodore Roosevelt (60 years)
4. Abraham Lincoln (56 years)
400
A potentially life-threatening allergic condition triggered by a sugar molecule found in mammals, most commonly contracted through the bite of a lone star tick
Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS)
500
Funded by HUD and administered locally by public housing agencies, this program helps low-income households pay for housing in the private market through vouchers that subsidize 70% of housing costs.
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, formerly known as Section 8
500
"I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do." (July 12, 2026)
Mitch McConnell 🤮
500
A boycott against this company was launched in the U.S. in 1977, in part to protest their aggressive marketing of infant formulas as a "more nutritious" substitute for breast milk, particularly in underdeveloped countries.
Nestlé
500
Sodium content (in mg): 1 Big Mac, 1 Lemon Lime Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier stick, 1 packet of Top Ramen Chicken, 1 tsp Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
1. 1 tsp Kosher salt (1,920 mg)
2. Ramen Packet (1,590 mg)
3. Big Mac (1,060 mg)
4. Liquid IV (500 mg)
500
The primary semiconducting material used to make computer chips
Silicon