Harvard Economist Ed Glaeser wrote an opinion piece in the New York Sun about the differences in housing affordability and other costs of living between Houston and New York.New York is naturally more expensive than Houston because the geographical constraints force higher density development, … [Read more...]
Amateur Economist: Zoning Hurts Housing Affordability
G.L.C. at Amateur Economist wrote an informative article on zoning, an issue which always gets attention at Market Urbanism - Why Zoning Laws Are No Longer a Benefit to U.S. Home BuyersVirtually every town in the United States has zoning laws which affect land use, lot size, building heights, … [Read more...]
New Research on the Economics of Green Buildings
There is little reliable research into the economic returns of high-performance (green) features of buildings, but Professor John Quigley plans to release his groundbreaking research on the subject this Fall.I am very excited to learn this news, and will certainly look forward to reviewing the … [Read more...]
EconTalk Podcast on Public Transportation
I regularly listen to Russel Robert's EconTalk podcasts. This week's podcast with Michael Munger from Duke University is particularly interesting, and possibly my favorite, along with the Milton Friedman interview.Photo by Flikr user Silvia SugastiProfessor Munger had just returned from … [Read more...]
Urban[ism] Legend: Greedy Developers
This post is part of an ongoing series featured on Market Urbanism called Urbanism Legends. The Urbanism Legends series is intended to expose many of the myths about development and Urban Economics. (it's a play on the term: “Urban Legends” in case you didn’t catch that)We've all heard it said … [Read more...]
$5 Gas and Commuting Costs
Environmental and Urban Economics - Commuting Cost ArithmeticWhen people work in the suburbs, will they save many gallons of gasoline if they move to the center city? Yes, they will be closer to their center city friends and stores but they will still need to reverse commute by car to their … [Read more...]
link: Medieval Cities
I have little expertise in Medieval Cities and have little input, but thought it was interesting:Marginal Revolution - Medieval cities: Europe vs. the Arabic world also, Econlog - Producer and Consumer CitiesCities in the Arab world were on average much larger than those in Europe, … [Read more...]
Urban[ism] Legend: Zoning Creates Density
This post will be the first of many of an ongoing feature at Market Urbanism entitled Urbanism Legends. (a play on the term: "Urban Legends" in case you didn't catch that) In many public forums and in the blogosphere, I consistently encounter myths about land development and Urban Economics. These … [Read more...]