Guy Sorman has an absolutely fascinating article in the City Journal about Asia's megacities, and I can't bear to bury it in a link list. He takes a very negative view of Shanghai, citing its deputy mayor for finance's candid admission that it's a "costly facade to maintain," and blasts Beijing for … [Read more...]
More weekend links
1. Cuban dissident blogger (as in, living in Cuba) Yoani Sánchez describes the state of the Cuban real estate market, and discusses new rules that apparently legalize buying and selling houses, though she has her doubts that the government will allow the overt displays of inequality that would … [Read more...]
Weekend links
1. Lydia DePillis responds. I'm all for upzoning only(/mostly) poor neighborhoods if that's all the extra density we can get (though here at Market Urbanism we're kind of utopians – we don't care much about political feasibility), but I'm not nearly as optimistic about inclusionary zoning as she … [Read more...]
Just give Access-a-Ride users cash!
The New York City MTA is starting a paratransit pilot program whereby it seeks to control skyrocketing Access-a-Ride costs by basically handing out unlimited vouchers for cabs for handicapped residents traveling below 96th Street in Manhattan, who would only have to pay $2.25 for each ride. I'm no … [Read more...]
The problem with “public” transportation
The blog 2nd Ave. Sagas has written something that I think sums up pretty well transit advocates' poor knowledge of private mass transit history: Of course, public transit is vital to the city’s well being. Because Manhattan is an island, it can’t handle the traffic. It’s a commercial hub … [Read more...]
This is how gentrification happens: Northwest DC and the height restriction
Lydia DePillis wrote the Washington City Paper's cover story on the case for Congress overturning DC's height limit, which should be very familiar to readers of this blog. It's got some interesting history in it (DC's height limit was apparently influenced by George Washington's personal aesthetics, … [Read more...]
Midweek link list
1. Mumbai is rethinking its density bonuses for developers who build parking lots and hand them over free of charge to the city.2. Tort liability driving away possible MARC operators.3. San Mateo County legislators threaten to charge San Franciscans a congestion charge similar to the one … [Read more...]
Abandoned properties require reform, not more money
A few decades ago, abandoned urban property wasn't much of an issue, since cities were in clear decline and it wasn't obvious that anyone even wanted the land to begin with. But with the revival of downtowns (including Detroit's!) and cities in general, the issue of derelict property is going to … [Read more...]