In his new book Arbitrary Lines, Nolan Gray points out that Tokyo is more affordable than many U.S. cities because its zoning policies are less restrictive. One common counterargument is that because Tokyo is a population-losing city in a population-losing city, it simply lacks the demand to have … [Read more...]
Los Angeles is Dense, St. Louis is Varied
I visited Los Angeles last month, and I fully intended to take transit from my aunt's house in Long Beach to a meeting downtown and another in Westwood. With a reality check from Google Maps, she talked me out of it and lent me her car. It's only the second time I've driven around the Los Angeles … [Read more...]
Review: The Urban Mystique, by Josh Stephens
This book, available from solimarbooks.com, is a set of very short essays (averaging about three to five pages) on topics related to urban planning. Like me, Stephens generally values walkable cities and favors more new housing in cities. So naturally I am predisposed to like this book. But there … [Read more...]
New Report by CMU and AHLA: The Case for Ending Parking Requirements in Downtown Los Angeles
The Center for Market Urbanism released its first policy report in partnership with Abundant Housing Los Angeles. The paper, written by The Center for Market Urbanism's Nolan Gray and Emily Hamilton, recommends eliminating minimum parking requirements as part of DTLA 2040, a process which will … [Read more...]
Four Warnings For Los Angeles On Measures S
The alternative title for this piece was: "Ballot Box Zoning: Where Needed Housing Goes to Die." Next month, Los Angeles will be voting on Measure S, a proposed 2-year policy that will effectively serve as a moratorium on new construction. That is, Measure S will require a public vote on any new … [Read more...]
The Disconnect Between Liberal Aspirations And Liberal Housing Policy Is Killing Coastal U.S. Cities
[This post was originally published on the blog Better Institutions] The people who live in coastal urban cities tend to be a pretty liberal bunch. We're leading the country on minimum wage laws, paid sick leave, climate change mitigation, and a host of other important issues. We care deeply … [Read more...]
Parking Requirements Increase Traffic And Rents. Let’s Abolish Them.
Everybody in LA can agree on one thing - traffic blows hard. Harder, even, than these guys: Hate traffic? Blame parking. But here’s a secret: people don’t cause traffic. Cars do. And you know what makes people use cars? … [Read more...]
Lack of New Housing On The Westside Is Causing Gentrification Of East And South LA
[Research help for this article was provided by UCLA student Mitchell Boswell] The past 15 years have seen a hell of a lot of gentrification in LA. 15% of our poor neighborhoods have undergone gentrification since the year 2000, and it feels like things have only accelerated since the end of the … [Read more...]
