(Austin’s “Dirty Sixth” street / ABC local KVUE)
1. This week at Market Urbanism
Does Home-sharing Create Negative Externalities? by Michael Lewyn
Homeowners’ fear of being overrun by “transient” renters is based on an outmoded picture of urban life. In a rural area where most people are born and die in the same town, a fear of “transients” may make sense- but urban life is already highly transient. In renter-dominated blocks, people move in and out every year, so transience is already the norm.
2. Where’s Scott?
Scott Beyer has, starting tomorrow, one week left in Austin. Tomorrow he’s visiting the southwestern Texas town of San Angelo. His two Forbes articles were about a Houston builder constructing the nation’s largest micro-unit project and Why Austin Needs to Unleash Sixth Street
These noise complaints follow the same rationale as complaints now routinely made about new housing, offices or retail. That is, people move into urban areas thinking they will enjoy the benefits of greater density and culture; but when those qualities prove inconvenient, they try to squelch them.
Scott’s work was also splashed all over Austin’s local news this week. He did two TV appearances–to discuss the city’s rail transit line and safety on sixth street–and was cited about these issues in the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Business Journal, Curbed Austin and Austin.com (among other publications).
3. At the Market Urbanism Facebook Group:
Ahmed Shaker reports his experiences of Chuadanga, Bangladesh and finds it dense, bustling, full of mixed-uses, and private transportation options are plentiful.
Shanu Athiparambath wrote Why Do People Love Their Cities But Hate Urban Living?
Todd Litman wrote: Funding Multi-Modalism at Planetizen
via Rocco Fama and Christopher Robotham: Donald Shoup and Aaron Renn on the City Journal podcast
via Mark Frazier: Does Elon Musk Understand Urban Geometry?
via Matt Robare: City taxes as urban growth policies: choosing the taxes that get you the city you want
via Matt Robare: SF‘s insane housing policies have a source
via Nick Zaiac, “The New York Times has a great Room for Debate symposium today that’s worth reading, including a piece by Glaeser.” Homeownership at 50-Year Low — So What?
via Rocco Famma, “What’s a little vice between neighbors?“
via Adam Hengels, an editorial that pretends Seattle is “living the effects of ‘free market urbanism'”
via Adam Hengels: San Francisco Progressives Declare War on Affordable Housing
via Nick Zaiac, Tokyo‘s “growth isn’t as similar to Houston or New York as it is to Indianapolis or Columbus.“
via Mark Frazier: Airbnb is experimenting in rural “community centers”
via Bob Gibbs: America’s New Small Towns: Housing Developments That Recreate Village Life
via Mark Frazier: The Town that Privatized Everything (Sandy Springs, Georgia)
via Paul Barter: What’s better: a small apartment or nothing?
4. Elsewhere
The Big Psychological Issues at Stake With Tiny Homes
Planetizen and Better Cities argue for mixed-use development as a strong tax revenue collection method
5. Stephen Smith‘s tweet of the week:
Great article on how Tokyo built its way to affordability (Google headline to read for free) https://t.co/9wUukPMb0W pic.twitter.com/nnBgoRZTks
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) August 3, 2016
