1. Another empirical paper claiming that anti-density zoning increases racial segregation: Previous research on segregation stresses things like urban form and racial preferences as primary causes. The author finds that an institutional force is more important: local land regulation. Using two … [Read more...]
Asian megacities, free and unfree: Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul
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...]
The economics of redevelopment and the shape of socialist cities
Earlier today I read an article by Daniel Garst about Bejing's awkward population distribution that reminded me of a journal article about the general shape of socialist cities that I read a while back. Garst talks about Beijing being a "circus tent" when it comes to density, with population … [Read more...]