I just finished reading Richard Florida's new book, The New Urban Crisis. Florida writes that part of this "crisis" is the exploding cost of housing in some prosperous cities. Does that make him a market urbanist? Yes, and no.On the one hand, Florida criticizes existing zoning laws and the … [Read more...]
Market Urbanist Book Review: Cities and The Wealth of Nations by Jane Jacobs
No one writer of the last 60 years has influenced urban planning and thinking as much as Jane Jacobs. It seems like just about everyone who has ever set foot in a major city has read The Death and Life of Great American Cities and most professional urban planners have embraced at least part of her … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Well-Tempered City
This book review is part of a TLC Book Tour.The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations, and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Lifeby Jonathan F. P. Rose In The Well-Tempered City, real estate developer Jonathan F. P. Rose offers a … [Read more...]
Joel Kotkin’s New Book Lays Out His Sprawling Vision For America
Also read my other post about Kotkin's book: NIMBYism as an Argument Against Urbanism Traditionally, defenders of suburban sprawl have been skittish about proclaiming that government should promote sprawl and halt infill development. Instead, they have taken a libertarian tack, … [Read more...]
Book Review: Perverse Cities by Pamela Blais
In her new book Perverse Cities: Hidden Subsidies, Wonky Policy, and Urban Sprawl, Pamela Blais explores the impact of flat-rate fees for development charges and network services like sewer, water, and cable. She explains in detail how these little-discussed policies play an important role … [Read more...]
Book Review: What Killed Downtown?
Michael Tolle's book, What Killed Downtown? Norristown, Pennsylvania from Main Street to the Malls, details the rise and fall of Main Street in one American small town. His case study relies on interviews with many Norristown residents who lived through the growth and decline of downtown alongside … [Read more...]
A Trial of Zoning
A recent Wall Street Journal op ed combines two of my favorite topics: Franz Kafka's The Trial and the inefficiencies of zoning. Roger Kimball explains the roadblocks he has faced in trying to repair his home after it was damaged in Hurricane Sandy. He writes: It wasn't until … [Read more...]
The High Cost of Free Parking Chapters 19-22
This post from the series on Donald Shoup's The High Cost of Free Parking is reposted from last week because the site's database caused recent posts to be deleted. Chapter 19: The Ideal Source of Local Public RevenueIn this chapter, Donald Shoup makes the case that passing up the potential … [Read more...]