Here are the results of my first use of OpenAI's Deep Research tool. I asked for information that I know well - and in which inaccurate research has been published. It did a great job and relied substantially on my own research. But it also went beyond my list - identifying protest petition statutes … [Read more...]
Review: Key to the City, by Sara Bronin
In Key to the City, Sara Bronin both critiques and defends zoning. Like numerous other commentators (including myself) Bronin points out that anti-density regulations such as minimum lot size and minimum parking requirements artificially increase housing costs. Her critique of the latter … [Read more...]
Decriminalizing Jaywalking: The Early Data
In recent years, three states have legalized or decriminalized jaywalking: Virginia and Nevada did so in early 2021, and California legalized jaywalking at the start of 2023. The traditional argument for anti-jaywalking laws is that they protect pedestrians from themselves, by limiting their … [Read more...]
Arlington Missing Middle lawsuit decision
Thanks to local journalist Margaret Barthel for finding and posting the elusive judicial decision that has struck down Arlington, Virginia's, missing middle ordinance, pending appeal. Retired judge David Schell, who will also hear a similar case against Alexandria, read the decision from the bench. … [Read more...]
Ruminating on Sheetz
As anticipated by the “radical agreement” among the parties and justices at oral argument, the Supreme Court’s recently released decision in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado put to rest the question of whether legislatively-imposed land use permit conditions are outside the scope of the takings … [Read more...]
The sudden death of the American condo
Condos are disappearing. They persist now mainly in pre-2010 buildings. Among multifamily homes built in the 2020s, just 1 in 25 is owner-occupied. What happened? I pulled American Community Survey data via IPUMS to get a better grasp of the numbers and the geography. Nationally, the rate of … [Read more...]
Court: Arlington “Missing Middle” Lawsuit May Proceed to Trial
By Andrew Crouch and Charles Gardner In March 2023, Arlington County, Virginia passed an amendment to its zoning ordinance which legalized so-called “missing middle” housing typologies in several residential districts, including many which had been zoned for single-family homes. Ten local … [Read more...]
Rhode Island’s housing process package
"Renting in Providence puts city councilors in precarious situations." That was the Providence Journal's leading headline a few days ago, as the legislature waited for Governor Daniel McKee to sign a pile of housing-related bills (Update: He signed them all). Rhode Island doesn't have a superstar … [Read more...]
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