1. This week at Market Urbanism
Michael Lewyn dispels some common misconceptions about Jane Jacobs And High-Rises
So I’m not sure she would have favored the common modern idea that high-rise and low-rise buildings should be segregated from each other, or that buildings of different density are “out of scale.”
Despite auto-centric regulation and subsidies, Houston‘s “zoning lite” approach seems to be working, according to Nolan Gray in Houston’s Beautiful (yet Partial) Embrace of Market Urbanism
This fourth city has managed to balance a booming economy, explosive population growth, and affordable housing. This city has—as cities have for thousands of years—steadily grown denser, more walkable, and more attractive to low-income migrants seeking opportunity. This city is Houston, and it’s well past time for her to come out of the shadows.
2. At the Market Urbanism Facebook Group
via Adam Hengels: a clip of a speech by Will Arnett’s character in Netfllix’s series “Flaked” who drops the Venice Beach NIMBYs and comes out as a YIMBY
via Krishan Madan: “At a time of such high demand, higher density construction should be legalized”
via Adam Hengels: Rethinking a Century of Zoning
Andy Walker wants to know who’s going to be at CNU in Detroit this weekend
via Krishan Madan: Van Bramer To Block Phipps’ 210-Unit [Affordable Housing] Development Plan, Essentially Kills Proposal (in Queens)
Nick Zaiac shared an interesting table from NAHB, who found regulations to account for nearly 1/4 of the cost of new home prices
Andrew Atkin shared his predictions of a “Utopian” sprawl, Urbanists cringe
via Adam Millsap: Clean money, dirty system: Connected landowners capture beneficial land rezoning
Nick Zaiac found some “Good stuff from the Richmond Fed on infrastructure, parking, and reform options”
via Roger Valdez: HALA’S Most Confusing Recommendation: The Pushes and Pulls of MIZ (Seattle)
via Roger Valdez: Seattle may slap new rules on Airbnb to ease the rental crunch
Krishan Madan sparks a discussion about How America Lost Its Mojo as it relates to NIMBYism
Alex Tabarrok shared his “provocation of the day”: Against Historic Preservation
via Adam Hengels: Equity Residential warns of softening rents due new supply
via Krishan Madan: The Effect of Local Government Policies on Housing Supply
via Mark Frazier: Uber, Ford, and Google Teaming Up to Radically Change Driving Laws
Todd Litman‘s latest at Planetizen: An Accurate Answer to an Interesting Question: Are Compact Neighborhoods Really Most Affordable?
via Krishan Madan: Santa Monica No-Growth Measure Probably Going to Be on November Ballot
3. Stephen Smith‘s tweet of the week:
*whispers* …state control of land use is the only way…
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) May 28, 2016