The Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. is now home to the world’s newest Apple Store following an expensive rehabilitation funded by the retailer. Originally built as a public library in 1903, it reopened its doors to the public on May 11, 2019 following decades of disuse, neglect, and a slew of … [Read more...]
Congressional Housing Subsidies Won’t Lower DC Housing Prices, But Liberalizing Zoning Will
During his last days in office, former Representative Jason Chaffetz must have forgotten he is supposed to be a fiscal conservative. His recent comments that members of Congress need $2,500 stipends to afford housing in DC reflect a complete ignorance of both the reasons for high housing prices and … [Read more...]
Urban[ism] Legend: The Free Market Can’t Provide Affordable Housing
Over at Greater Greater Washington, Ms. Cheryl Cort attempts to temper expectations of what she calls the “libertarian view (a more right-leaning view in our region)” on affordable housing. It is certainly reassuring to see the cosmopolitan left and the pro-market right begin to warm to the … [Read more...]
Transpo bill gridlock staves off federal transit regulation
There are two general attitudes among urbanists towards the transportation omnibus bill that Congress has been struggling to pass in recent years (?). Some, like Streetsblogs and a number of political advocacy groups, hope for swift passage because of the bill's transit spending. Others, like Cap'n … [Read more...]
Montgomery County’s loss is Calgary’s gain: Rollin Stanley escapes from the coven to Canada
Not sure how this escaped me, but it seems that a few weeks ago, Rollin Stanley was announced as Calgary's new chief planner. Rollin Stanley, you'll recall, was the very vocal pro-urban growth planner in Maryland's Montgomery County, north of Washington, DC, who resigned after these four sentences … [Read more...]
Car Sharing as a Public Utility – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Over at Washington City Paper‘s Housing Complex blog, Lydia DePillis takes issue with DC’s car sharing policy – and namely, the decision to auction off on-street spaces to the highest (car-sharing) bidder, “rather than allow the market’s first mover—Zipcar—[to] have them all … [Read more...]
Five union work rules that harm transit productivity
Since Alon's comment a few weeks ago that union work rules, not wages and benefits, are the real problem with labor unions at America's transit authorities, I've been looking into the matter, which seems to be something that a lot of transit boosters don't like to talk about. It's an uncomfortable … [Read more...]
Links: “At least they’re being honest” edition
1. NY Governor Cuomo promises the "most aggressive" strengthening of the state's (read: NYC's) rent laws.2. Bronx <3 parking: "This community wants a moratorium on any more building until we get a parking lot." "We don't want any bigger buildings and we want parking space for everyone."3. … [Read more...]