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Liberalizing cities | From the bottom up

“Market Urbanism” refers to the synthesis of classical liberal economics and ethics (market), with an appreciation of the urban way of life and its benefits to society (urbanism). We advocate for the emergence of bottom up solutions to urban issues, as opposed to ones imposed from the top down.

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  • What Should I Read to Understand Zoning?

Resources for Reformers: Houston’s minimum lot sizes

March 14, 2023 By Salim Furth

A concerted research effort has brought minimum lot sizes into focus as a key element in city zoning reform. Boise is looking at significant reforms. Auburn, Maine, and Helena, Montana, did away with minimums in some zones. And even state legislatures are putting a toe in the water: Bills enabling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Development, housing, Places & Spaces, planning Tagged With: Houston, minimim lot sizes, research, townhouses

Should governments nudge land assembly?

February 17, 2023 By Salim Furth

For a reading group, I recently read two papers about the costs and (in)efficiencies around land assembly. One advocated nudging small landowners into land assembly; the other is an implicit caution against doing so.Graduated Density ZoningAlthough he's mostly known for parking research and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Development, Economics, World City Profiles Tagged With: Donald Shoup, Land assembly, tokyo

Book review: Last Harvest

July 12, 2021 By Salim Furth

In the standard urban growth model, a circular city lies in a featureless agricultural plain. When the price of land at the edge of the city rises above the value of agricultural land, “land conversion” occurs. In the real world, we’re more likely to call it “development” and it is, of course, a lot … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Review, Development, Uncategorized Tagged With: book review, developers, development

California Housing Reform: 2021 Edition

January 12, 2021 By Jeff Fong

Current events being what they are, I’m happy to be writing about something positive. Once again, we’re getting an ambitious housing reform package in the California legislature. The various bills focus on removing obstacles to new housing and are a sign of the growing momentum Yimby activists have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: california, Development, Policy, zoning

Stuck in the (Missing) Middle

September 8, 2020 By Salim Furth

Everybody loves missing middle housing! What’s not to like? It consists of neighborly, often attractive homes that fit in equally well in Rumford, Maine, and Queens, New York. Missing middle housing types have character and personality. They’re often affordable and vintage.Daniel Parolek’s new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Architecture and Design, Book Review, Development, housing Tagged With: books, Economics, housing, missing middle

Are Dollar Stores Wiping Out Grocery Stores?

January 29, 2020 By Michael Lewyn

I had always thought dollar stores were a nice thing to have in an urban neighborhood, but recently they have become controversial. Some cities have tried to limit their growth, based on the theory that "they impede opportunities for grocery stores and other businesses to take root and grow." … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Development, Economics, Michael Lewyn, Places & Spaces, planning, Policy, Urban[ism] Legends, zoning Tagged With: dollar

Even NIMBYs should be YIMBYs

January 28, 2020 By Michael Lewyn

Jeremiah Moss, a New York blogger, just wrote a long article complaining about the bad habits of his new neighbors in the East Village. I suspect many, if not most readers, of his article would think: maybe we need to zone out new housing to keep out the yuppies!But it seems to me that this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Development, housing, Michael Lewyn, NIMBYism Tagged With: moss

“Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities” Out Today

December 4, 2018 By Nolan Gray

Alain Bertaud's long awaited book, Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities, is out today. Bertaud is a senior research scholar at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management and former principle urban planner at the World Bank.Working through a pre-release copy over the past few weeks, I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Architecture and Design, Book Review, Development, World Tagged With: alain bertaud, order without design

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