(the San Antonio riverwalk / wikipedia)
1. This week at Market Urbanism:
Nolan Gray Reclaiming “Redneck” Urbanism: What Urban Planners Can Learn From Trailer Parks
Trailer parks remain one of the last forms of housing in US cities provided by the market explicitly for low-income residents. Better still, they offer a working example of traditional urban design elements and private governance.
Scott Beyer San Francisco Seeks Public, Not Private, Solutions To Housing Crisis
However the biggest problem with San Francisco’s housing policy is that officials and citizens alike are hostile to new buildings, especially tall ones, even when they are built in appropriate locations.
Emily Washington and Michael Hamilton Market Urbanism Is Underrated
Zoning is not a Georgist tax in which landowners are taxed in proportion to their land’s value; rather, zoning hugely decreases the value of the country’s most valuable land, while it props up the value of land that would be less desirable absent zoning.
2. Where’s Scott?
Scott flew early this week from his hometown of Charlottesville, VA to San Antonio. He has been hired by the Center for Opportunity Urbanism to do a profile on the city, including its history, growth, and future prospects.
3. At the Market Urbanism Facebook Group:
Todd Litman, of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, talks about The Disconnect Between Liberal Aspirations and Liberal Housing Policy
John Morris says, “Ironic: Portland’s best shot at an equitable, environmentally sound, affordable city is to return to development before “progressive” planning.”
Jeff Fong found interesting simulations predicting the promising effect of driverless cars on cities
Lot’s of discussion about Tyler Cowen‘s skepticism that the deregulation Market Urbanism advocates won’t actually lower rents. (via Anthony Ling)
Alex Tabarrok shared his latest post at Marginal Revolution: Regulatory Arbitrage, Rent-Seeking and the Deal of the Year where 4,000sf of valuable New York real estate had to be destroyed to comply with zoning
“An eclectic coalition of residents, business owners, feminists, Maoists” are willing to threaten violence to keep their Los Angeles neighborhood from changing (via Krishan Madan)
At Forbes, Adam Millsap says “Cash-strapped cities can privatize bus transit to save money and lower fares for low-income consumers (and everyone else).”
4. Elsewhere:
Michael Lewyn at Planetizen: The Neighborhood Veto and the ‘Missing Middle’
Vancouver‘s density debate pits Sullivanism versus the ideas of Jane Jacobs
Toronto Star: In praise of ugly old buildings
Driverless cars could make “many downtown parking structures obsolete”
Vox: San Francisco is requiring solar panels on all new buildings. But here’s a much greener idea.
5. Stephen Smith‘s Tweet of the Week:
If only zoning allowed any market tier beyond luxury/ultra-luxury to be overbuilt… https://t.co/qTWSnJwLNz
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) April 20, 2016
