California might have some competition in the race for high-speed rail.Texas Central Railway wants to begin construction on a high-speed line from Dallas to Houston as early as 2017. The current plan is to go from downtown to downtown, with possibly one stop along the way in College Station. An … [Read more...]
DC streetcar: Worse than nothing
On Tuesday, DC's city council passed a tax reform package that will cut funding for future streetcar construction. These cuts come as the H Street streetcar delays continue to mount, and much of the commentary supporting the streetcar has shifted from touting its … [Read more...]
Urbanism without government
Asking, "But who will build the roads?" is a cliched response to proposals for a more libertarian political system. However, it leads to the interesting historical question of "Who has built the roads in anarchic societies?" Colonial America provides a few examples that answer this question. Perhaps … [Read more...]
Potential for Voluntary Infrastructure
Last fall I visited Budapest and learned some interesting history of the city's beautiful Chain Bridge. Before 1849, the small cities of Buda and Pest were connected by a temporary bridge that was only viable during warm months. In the winter, the bridge had to be taken down due to ice, making it … [Read more...]
Car and Driver(less) Link List
1) A reader pointed out this post at Volokh Conspiracy arguing that personal cars give us freedom, citing the example of automobiles helping African Americans boycott segregated buses in the 1950s. Sasha Volokh writes: Let’s think back to 1955, when African Americans stayed off segregated buses in … [Read more...]
The High Cost of Free Parking Chapters 1-4
Here's the first installation of Market Urbanism Book Club, covering the first four chapters of Donald Shoup's The High Cost of Free Parking. If you've read the book previously or are reading along, please share your thoughts and questions in the comments.Chapter 1:Shoup outlines the unusual … [Read more...]
DC Office of Planning releases an underwhelming study of proposed new streetcar network
Last week the DC Department of Transportation DC Office of Planning released a Streetcar Land Use Study describing the impacts that the proposed DC streetcar network will have for the city. Greater Greater Washington accepts the study as proof that the streetcar will be great for DC. The report is … [Read more...]
NYC Taxi Reform Doesn’t Go Far Enough
This post originally appeared at Neighborhood Effects, a Mercatus Center blog where we write about the economics of state and local policy.Next week, New York Governor Cuomo is likely to sign a bill that will marginally increase competition in the NYC cab market. The new rule will allow … [Read more...]