We spend a lot of time here talking about the local regulations that harm cities, from parking minimums, to height limits to restrictions on mixed-use development. I've been thinking recently about another policy that impacts cities at the federal level: the tax code. I bring up this topic not to … [Read more...]
Archives for 2011
Why the FRA is Bad for America, in 10 Seconds
A lot of words have been written about how horribly FRA safety regulations cripple US main line passenger railway budgets (and you should read them!), but it’s also important to remember that even as a safety regulator, the FRA fails. You have to see it to believe it: ... … [Read more...]
The Day the Engineers Turned Against California HSR
No, but really – fly California. On Tuesday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority laid down their cards in the form of a new “business plan” for the proposed line, and its cards are not good – the system is now projected to cost $98 billion in year-of-expenditure dollars, which, … [Read more...]
Midweek Links and Business
1. Stephen writes at The Atlantic Cities on Japan's largely privatized rail system. He points out that free market reforms have benefited both cities and transit there. 2. For readers in the DC area, the Urban Land Institute is holding Capital Markets Interchange in McLean on November 10th. The … [Read more...]
Cities and the Market Process: Part 2
In the first post of this little series, I addressed the problems of top down land use regulation through the lens of Austrian economics. Because cities contain public space and infrastructure that is used by many residents and cannot be bought and sold in the way that many goods can be, Alon Levy … [Read more...]
Hey Bloomberg, Buy Your Own 7 Train to New Jersey!
A few days ago, Mayor Bloomberg made a startling announcement: The 7 train extension to New Jersey is still on. The idea was first floated last year as a replacement for the canceled trans-Hudson commuter rail ARC project, but it was a hard sell then, and at $10 billion, it’s still a hard … [Read more...]
Book Review of Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi
I'm reviewing Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi by Steve Inskeep as part of a TLC Book Tour. Other bloggers are also reviewing the book throughout October, and you can find links to their reviews here. I received a complimentary copy of the book, and I'd like to send it to a reader if anyone … [Read more...]
Cities and the Market Process: Part 1
In a post about the tendency for emergent urbanists to promote the idea of cities having a single equilibrium, Alon Levy recently wrote that collective choice is the best manner for determining urban form. Many urbanists accept that some of the top-down regulations that limit density or use are … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- …
- 23
- Next Page »