affordability in New York CityPlay with the HUD-Brookings Institution's new index maps here:The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, developed by CNT and its collaborative partners, the Center for Transit Oriented Development (CTOD), is an innovative tool that measures the true … [Read more...]
Neighborhood Walkability Scores
A recent Wall Street Journal blog post refers to a website called Walk Score. Walk Score will let you know the walkability of a neighborhood based on the address you type in. The site also features ranking of cities and neighborhoods.Here are the city rankings: 1. San Francisco, CA 2. New … [Read more...]
Glaeser on Affordability of NY vs Houston
Harvard Economist Ed Glaeser wrote an opinion piece in the New York Sun about the differences in housing affordability and other costs of living between Houston and New York.New York is naturally more expensive than Houston because the geographical constraints force higher density development, … [Read more...]
Rangel Now Only Hoards Three Rent Controlled Apartments
Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel has announced that he will vacate the rent controlled apartment he has been using as a campaign office. This apartment is just one of four rent controlled apartments he is hoarding in the Lenox Terrace apartment building in Harlem.NY Times - Rangel to … [Read more...]
Congressman Rangel Legally Plunders $30,000/year in Four Rent Controlled Apartments
[update! Rangel Now Only Hoards Three Rent Controlled Apartments] In case you missed it, powerful New York Congressman Charlie Rangel has been hoarding four apartments in Harlem's Lenox Terrace. Coincidently (perhaps not so coincidently) Lennox Terrace is the same building where New York's … [Read more...]
Economakis Family Threatened by Friends of Rent Control
The Economakis family has been threatened my some members of the community who planned a protest tonight against their family using their own property as a home. See this truly despicable flyer calling friends of rent control to arms.[image from curbed]Here's Mr. Economakis' … [Read more...]
Ikea Provides Private Transportation, Santiago-Style
[photo: flickr: moriah]In a perfect tie-in to yesterday's EconTalk podcast on public transportation, Ikea's new Brooklyn store provides free bus and ferry service to locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Not only is it free, but it's nicer than the $2/ride public alternative.Most … [Read more...]
How to Obscure Reality to Make Planners Seem Important
Regular reader, Bill forwarded this article from the New York Daily News calling it an "outstanding collection of anti-density and anti-market propaganda presented (as always) as objective journalism." The article is riddled with misconceptions (aka Urbanism Legends) about zoning and development … [Read more...]