Back a couple years ago, I noted an Econtalk podcast with Russell Roberts and Duke University Professor Mike Munger on the private bus system in Santiago, Chile. This week's episode starts with Munger's update on the Santiago transportation system after visiting for three weeks and spending a lot … [Read more...]
Must Read: The Demand Curve for Sprawl Slopes Downward
Sandy Ikeda's latest article at FEE's "The Freeman" is a great summary of the libertarian sprawl debate.There has been a lot of Internet chatter lately about what libertarians ought to think about urban sprawl and its causes, including pieces by Kevin Carson, Austin Bramwell, Randal O’Toole, and … [Read more...]
Video: Sandy Ikeda on The Unintended Consequences of “Smart Growth”
I came across this video interview of economist Sandy Ikeda by the Mackinac Center. Sandy currently blogs at thinkmarkets and has contributed guest posts to Market Urbanism. I thought Sandy did a great job discussing many of the topics we cover in this site. Sandy is particularly insightful when … [Read more...]
HSR Urbanists: “We Are All O’Tooles Now”
I probably won't make any friends today, but now I’ve read one too many urbanist (many who’s ideas I usually respect) use unsound logic to support high speed rail. This argument often includes something like this: “…and furthermore, highways and airports don’t come close to paying for themselves, … [Read more...]
Rothbard the Urbanist Part 4: Policing
I apologize for the extended delay between posts. Personal (newborn) and professional priorities have prevented me from having the free time I once had. Unfortunately posts will probably continue to be sporadic until things settle down a little.We are now at Part 4 in the multi-part series … [Read more...]
Rothbard the Urbanist Part 3: Prevention of Blockades
In the last post, we discussed the first paragraphs of chapter 11 of Murray Rothbard's For A New Liberty. (available free from Mises.org as pdf, web page, and audio book) Those paragraphs discussed the private ownership of all land, including streets and roads. Rothbard clearly and concisely … [Read more...]
Rothbard the Urbanist Part 2: Safe Streets
The recent post, Public Education’s Role in Sprawl and Exclusion generated some interest and fantastic comments. I recommend reading Murray Rothbard's For a New Liberty in its entirety. It is elegant in its consistently radical application of principles. It is available for free from the Mises … [Read more...]
Are You a Wright or Friedman Urbanist?
In a post blogger Eric Orozco called, ‘forerunner candidate for "most incisive blog post" of the year,’ Daniel Nairn of Discovering Urbanism discussed the seemingly conflicted camps of libertarianism when it comes to Urbanism. His observations are based upon the comments in the Volokh article on … [Read more...]