Ants are a lot like humans in some ways. Look what ants can achieve without any top down management: [hat tip: Cafe Hayek] … [Read more...]
President Obama on Jane Jacobs and Cities
Without getting too political on inauguration day, I'd like to share a positive video featuring our new President that urbanists should appreciate, regardless of political persuasion: Let's hope President Obama keeps Jane Jacobs' lessons of spontaneous order from The Death and Life of Great … [Read more...]
IBM Congestion Pricing Commercial
Apparently, IBM helped implement a congestion pricing solution in Stockholm, Sweden. Could commercials like this help break down aversion to market-based solutions? [hat tip: The Overhead Wire] … [Read more...]
Chicago Privatizes Parking Meters
Of course, Chicago is just privatizing the revenue from meters, not the actual parking spaces. Plus, the city will regulate rate increases, but it's a step in the right direction. (right?) For today's politicians, this is a great way to get windfalls of money today for revenues of future … [Read more...]
Market Meltdown and Bailout Videos
Wow! This market is a mess. As a great follow up to his posts at CafeHayek on government's intervention in the housing market, Russell Roberts discusses the situation and bailout with reason.tv: Also... Here's the video from an Economics forum discussion at MIT (my Alma mater) on … [Read more...]
Video: Driven to the Brink
I enjoyed this short video that compares Chicago's Lincoln Square, where I have lived and Buffalo Grove, which is a suburb similar to where I grew up. The video was produced by CEOs for Cities, a Chicago based organization that advocates for cities. Their website gives this description: A new … [Read more...]
Urban[ism] Legend: Density is Bad for the Environment
This is a topic I want to cover more thoroughly, but for now I present a one hour documentary video on green buildings for you leisurely viewing. I came across the snagfilms website from a recent Wall Street Journal article. Most of the documentary videos lean towards "progressive" tastes, but … [Read more...]
Unintended Consequences of Stop Signs
The latest edition of the Atlantic Monthly features an article by John Staddon, a Professor of psychology and brain sciences at Duke University. The article discusses some of the differences in how the US and Britain regulates traffic and how there are unintended consequences to over-regulation. … [Read more...]