• About
  • Adam Hengels
  • Emily Hamilton
  • Michael Lewyn
  • Salim Furth
  • What Should I Read to Understand Zoning?
  • Contact

Market Urbanism

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.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Economics
  • housing
  • planning
  • Zoning
  • Urban[ism] Legends
  • Book Reviews

Obama administration sells transit out to protectionists (again)

May 22, 2011 By Stephen Smith

I'm not sure how I missed this (actually, I have an idea – more on that in a minute), but back in February the Federal Transit Administration issued the following warning about strengthened "Buy America" transit procurement protectionism: Congress and the Obama Administration asked Americans to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Barack Obama, protectionism, transit, unions

“Buy American” drives up cost of transit

September 17, 2010 By Stephen Smith

by Stephen Smith As if America's public transportation networks weren't hobbled enough by union wages and pensions, the Obama administration's "Buy American" pandering is adding to the burden. One streetcar line in Houston has been sent back to the drawing board because it didn't comply with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Barack Obama, transit

Obama’s genius high-speed rail plan

December 23, 2009 By Stephen Smith

by Stephen Smith Just in case you were under the impression that Obama's high-speed rail commitment was genuine, the Boston Globe would like to disabuse you of that notion: The railroad tracks from Boston to Washington - the busiest rail artery in the nation, and one that also carries … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: Barack Obama, high speed rail, Stephen Smith

“Misbuilding” the Future, Again…

March 2, 2009 By Adam Hengels

From "Highway to hell revisited", a Financial Times article by Christopher Caldwell: The Highway Act probably has more defenders than detractors. But Mr Obama should be among the latter. The act, which budgeted $25bn in federal money to build 41,000 miles of motorway, exacerbated the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment, Transportation Tagged With: Barack Obama, highways, sprawl, stimulus

President Obama on Jane Jacobs and Cities

January 20, 2009 By Adam Hengels

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...]

Filed Under: Economics, Jane Jacobs, planning, video Tagged With: Barack Obama, Jane Jacobs, video

Uncomfortable truths about the progressive legacy

January 20, 2009 By Stephen Smith

by Stephen Smith Yesterday I was listening to the pre-inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial on the radio, and one of the speakers said something that struck me as emblematic of the challenges that Barack Obama faces, though I doubt she realized the ironic significance. She was praising … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: Barack Obama, conservation, highways, roads, Stephen Smith, Transportation, Urbanism

Urban[ism] Legend: Creating Jobs With Infrastructure

December 8, 2008 By Adam Hengels

This post is part of an ongoing series featured on Market Urbanism called Urbanism Legends. The Urbanism Legends series is intended to expose many of the myths about development and Urban Economics. (it's a play on the term: “Urban Legends” in case you didn’t catch that) Last week … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Environment, sprawl, Transportation, Urban[ism] Legends Tagged With: Barack Obama, carbon, Henry Hazlitt, infrastructure, Market, stimulus, subsidization, Urbanism

How McCain or Obama Can Permanently Eliminate the Gas Tax, Cut Pork and Help the Environment

May 12, 2008 By Adam Hengels

John McCain and Hillary Clinton have both supported the idea of a "Gas Tax Holiday". The whole idea of a Holy Day to celebrate the worship of socialized transportation catered by Santa Clinton/McCain seems pretty absurd to me. Nonetheless, they expect pandering to gas-addicted voters to pay off in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Transportation Tagged With: Barack Obama, Economics, Free-market, highways, politics, privatization, transit, Transportation

Listen in

  • Abundance
  • Conversations with Tyler
  • Densely Speaking
  • Ideas of India
  • Order Without Design
  • UCLA Housing Voice
  • Yeoman

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Market Sites Urbanists should check out

  • Arpitrage
  • Cafe Hayek
  • Center for Building in North America blog
  • Construction Physics
  • Conversable Economist
  • Environmental and Urban Economics | Matt Kahn
  • Erdmann Housing Tracker
  • Foundation for Economic Education
  • Marginal Revolution
  • Marginal Revolution University
  • Parafin
  • Propmodo
  • Rent Free
  • Time & Space
  • Urbanomics

Urbanism Sites capitalists should check out

  • Caos Planejado
  • City Density
  • Cornerstone
  • Granola Shotgun
  • Important Readings in Urbanism
  • Kartografia Ekstremalna
  • Metropolitan Abundance Project
  • Pedestrian Observations
  • Planetizen
  • Reinventing Parking
  • Skynomics Blog
  • StreetsBlog USA
  • Strong Towns
  • The Corner Side Yard | Pete Saunders
  • YIMBY Alliance

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2025 Market Urbanism