This post originally appeared at Neighborhood Effects, a Mercatus Center blog where we write about state and local policy issues as well as the broad concepts of economic freedom. A new Brookings study by Kenya Covington, Lance Freeman, and Michael Stoll finds that increasingly, … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2011
From Towers-in-a-Park, to Rowhomes-in-a-Parking Lot?
When the Drunk Engineer posted about a parking-packed Oakland project winning a smart growth award, I figured it was an anomaly. And hey, it’s the West Coast – what did you expect? My rendering rule-of-thumb: The more they emphasize the green, the worse it's gonna turn out... … [Read more...]
The War on Drugs Is a War on Cities
Ken Burns’ new documentary Prohibition is excellent and highly recommended on its own merits, but urbanists should take special note of its urban themes. Cities have always been caricatured as centers of licentiousness, and the booming cities of turn-of-the-century America, teeming with poor … [Read more...]
Fictional Scandal at the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
Stephen's post on alleged corruption at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission reminded me of a great scene from The Bonfire of the Vanities that I wanted to share here. Tom Wolfe describes a scenario in which a black bishop wants to sell his church's property in order to raise money … [Read more...]
Affordable Housing vs. Density: The Unintended Consequences of Zoning Bonuses
California Assembly Bill 710 was introduced to earlier this year to tackle the problem of municipalities requiring onerous amounts of parking for new development, widely recognized as one of the main impediments to transit-oriented development and infill growth. The bill would have capped city and … [Read more...]
DC Councilmembers Take a (Soft) Stand Against Parking
DCist reports that DC city councilmembers Tommy Wells and Mary Cheh proposed legislation that would allow the mayor to designate apartment buildings where residents would not be allowed to purchase residential parking permits. This innovative legislation would mark a sharp turn away from typical … [Read more...]
Preservationists Accuse NYC Landmarks Commission of Favoritism
A scandal may be brewing at New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC has never had a reputation for being very objective or easy to work with, but now its integrity is being called into question as preservationists are accusing both a current and former official of colluding … [Read more...]
Car Sharing as a Public Utility – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Over at Washington City Paper‘s Housing Complex blog, Lydia DePillis takes issue with DC’s car sharing policy – and namely, the decision to auction off on-street spaces to the highest (car-sharing) bidder, “rather than allow the market’s first mover—Zipcar—[to] have them all … [Read more...]