Welcome! This research website, plus its sister site in the University of Iowa Archives, offer reference materials on a wide variety of topics by Nicholas Johnson — and others. See the website “Search” feature below.
Popular
- “Earthpark-Rainforest” — how not to build community attractions
- “School Boards” — board members must speak out
- “Tussling Over TIFs: Pros and Cons” — gifts of taxpayers’ money to for-profit, private ventures
- “Nicholas Johnson Personal“— About Nicholas Johnson
- KICI-FM Iowa City, Iowa, Nicholas Johnson interviews [Listen]
- “The Greening of Nicholas Johnson,” Rolling Stone, April 1971
Recent Content
- “A Win-Win Plan for College Football,” The Gazette, 12 Sep 2023
- “Democracy Relies on Public Schools,” The Gazette, 29 Aug 2023
- “This, Children, is What Governors Do,” The Gazette, 14 Aug 2023
- “Quality Housing for All is Possible,” The Gazette, 1 Aug 2023
- “Is It Hot Enough for You?,” The Gazette, 18 Jul 2023
- “Regarding China, Don’t Do Stupid Stuff,” The Gazette, 11 Jul 2023
- “War, Who’s It Good For?,” The Gazette, 27 Jun 2023
- “Democracy Depends on Political Norms, The Gazette, 13 Jun 2023
- “Improving Health and Democracy,” The Gazette, 31 May 2023
- And see, Nicholas Johnson’s YouTube channel, “Presentations Current” playlist, for latest appearances
Latest Blog Posts
What’s Here and How to Find It
The “General Resources” page provides links to material you may find useful, organized by topics — specific documents and Web sites.
The “Material by Source” and “Material by Topic” pages offer alternative ways of finding what you may be looking for.
The “Nicholas Johnson Archives” page provides links to hundreds of boxes of Nicholas Johnson’s Archives in the UI Library’s Special Collections.
The “Nicholas Johnson Personal” page answers questions or curiosity you may have, like “just who is this Nicholas Johnson anyway?”

Nicholas Johnson’s popular and timely book, Columns of Democracy, is available from Iowa City’s Prairie Lights Bookstore’s online service or at the store. Also Amazon. And see the the Columns of Democracy website and Nick’s Nine Other Books.
Search
Use the search option below, or visit the Portal page to explore the site. Thanks!
Instructions: (1) Type your search words or phrase in the box, (2) Choose to search the blog or the website, (3) Press the “Click here to Search” button.
Search
If you know what you are looking for you may find this search feature helpful.
Instructions: (1) Type your search words or phrase in the box, (2) Choose to search the blog or the website, (3) Press the “Click here to Search” button.