One common argument against new housing is that it will turn “[neighborhood at issue] into Dubai.” Evidently, some people think Dubai is a hellscape of super-dense skyscapers. In fact, Dubai isn’t very dense at all. Downtown Dubai has a population of about 13,200 people in 0.77 square miles, or a little over 17,000 people per […]
Why “Move to Boise” Is No Answer
One common argument raised by NIMBYs is that zoning is not harmful to humans, because people priced out of expensive cities can always move to a cheaper one.But a recent story illustrates why this argument is misguided: the story discusses increased … [Read More...]
Learning from Astor Street
One common argument against mixing housing types and densities is that if housing type A (for example, townhouses or single-family homes) is mixed with housing type B (for example, condos), the neighborhood will somehow be "ruined" for residents of the less … [Read More...]
The Truth About “Red Vienna”: Its a YIMBY Paradise!
One common leftist argument against new housing is the "Red Vienna" argument: the claim that housing can only be affordable in places where the government dominates the housing market. Supporters of this claim like to mention Vienna, where (according to … [Read More...]
A Desire for Density
Political controversies over building new homes, shops, and offices have long revolved around an axis of "neighborhood vs developer." Depending on your perspective, the "neighborhood" side was either the feisty underdogs looking to maintain the character of … [Read More...]
Interview with Onésimo Flores, Founder of Jetty
In this interview I talk to Onésimo Flores, Founder of Jetty, a (sort-of) microtransit company from Mexico City.Marcos Schlickmann: Thank you for participating in this interview. Please introduce yourself and talk a little bit about how Jetty came to … [Read More...]
The Carnegie Library Apple Store is Fine
The Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. is now home to the world’s newest Apple Store following an expensive rehabilitation funded by the retailer. Originally built as a public library in 1903, it reopened its doors to the public on May 11, 2019 following … [Read More...]
Market Urbanism MUsings May 11, 2019
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: third fastest growing city in Africa. (pop. 4,364,541) Flickr user David Stanley1. Recently at Market Urbanism A great new paper on how government fights walking by Michael LewynMany readers of this blog know that government … [Read More...]
The Storper paper: not exactly a bombshell
Some commentators are slightly agog over an academic paper by Andres Rodrieguz-Pose and Michael Storper; Richard Florida writes that they shows that " the effect of [housing] supply has been blown far out of proportion. "Most of this paper isn't really … [Read More...]