1. This week at Market Urbanism:
Emily Washington ties Adam Smith‘s ideas to urbanism in Mercantilist logic and land-use regulation
Adam Smith taught the world that mercantilism impoverished 18th-century nations by erecting barriers to trade and reducing opportunities for specialization and economic growth. Regulations that restrict urban development likewise reduce opportunities for innovation and specialization by limiting cities’ population size and density.
Dan Keshet Taylor Swift Spurns Country Music’s Longtime Attitude Towards Cities
Taylor Swift, on the other hand, can portray a positive side of cities: cosmopolitan places to escape bad relationships, meet new people with different life experiences, and grow your dreams.
Let’s Go L.A., an anonymous new contributor, adds Zoning, Buildings Codes, And Low-Quality Housing
quality can be used to convey a wide variety of characteristics. Something can be low quality in the sense that it is hazardous to human health and safety, or something can be low quality in the sense that, while functional, it doesn’t meet the aesthetic preferences of the neighbors.
Stephen Smith quoted about Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn at Washington Post
2. Wednesday was Jane Jacobs‘ 100th birthday, giving market urbanists much to walk and talk about. These include numerous Jane’s Walks that will occur this weekend in numerous U.S. cities:
Nolan Gray discussed Jane Jacobs and Friedrich Hayek on the Strong Towns Podcast
Emily Washington talked about Jane Jacobs on the Cato Daily Podcast
Sandy Ikeda is hosting his annual Brooklyn Heights Janes Walk this weekend
An urbanist friend of Jeff Fong dedicated a song to Jane Jacobs
Stephen Smith is never afraid to point out the NIMBY tendencies of Jane Jacobs on twitter:
It’s Jane Jacobs’s 100th birthday!! To celebrate, I will tweet out some of her most NIMBYrrific quotes.
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) May 4, 2016
3. Where’s Scott?
Scott Beyer spent his third week in San Antonio, and will travel tomorrow to the Mexican border towns of Brownsville, TX and Matamoros. This week he wrote a Governing Magazine article about The Right and Wrong Uses of Tax Increment Financing, and a Forbes article about How San Antonio is Gaining on Austin in Millennial Appeal
When high housing prices push Millennials out of trendy cities, or prevent them from moving there in the first place, said Millennials don’t just dissipate into the wilderness. Instead, they find nearby cities that provide a similar, if slightly more subdued, lifestyle at lower cost.
4. At the Market Urbanism Facebook Group:
Tobias Cassandra Holbrook was accused of being a shill for developers by neighbors
via Anthony Ling: How Pink Zoning can Upstart Urban Development and Dan Doctoroff on Quora
via Nolan Gray: 5 Cities that are Leading the Way in Urban Innovation
David Welton starts a discussion about externalities
via David Iach: Want Economic Growth? Try Urban Density
Michael Lewyn wrote The Media Attacks Urbanism and wants reviewers of his upcoming book
via Cassiano Ricardo Dalberto: NYC Elevators Define The City
via Adam Hengels San Francisco Residents Want Out!
via Adam Millsap: O’Toole‘s latest at Cato, Indianapolis‘ War on Suburban Lifestyle
via Asher Meyers: How Uber Promotes Dangerously Tired Driving
via Mark Frazier: Zach Caceres announces Startup Cities – the Video game
5. Stephen Smith‘s Tweet of the Week:
Because affordable housing is more about maintaining neighborhood aesthetics than providing welfare https://t.co/sPTQlhzNBc
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) May 3, 2016
