1. Development blogger Roving Bandit criticizes UN-Habitat executive director Joan Clos for saying that Africa is "confronted with [...] the challenge of preventing the formation of new slums." I wonder if Clos thinks that the Lower East Side was born with yoga studios and Starbucks.2. A kidney … [Read more...]
NYC & DC links
New York City1. A while ago I wrote about how Manhattanville's blight, and therefore Columbia's ability to use eminent domain, was the fault of bad zoning. The nearby neighborhood of West Harlem looks like it's learned that lesson, and is seeking to protect itself against encroachment from … [Read more...]
Seattle’s land use liberalization
It's not often that I find a plan that I can wholeheartedly agree with, but this one from Seattle sounds damn near perfect, at least in terms of marginal change (my emphasis...apologies to Publicola for stealing their content!): 1. Instead of the current generic land-use standards, the new … [Read more...]
A question and a link list
Hey guys, before I start this link list, I wanted to ask: Has anybody had trouble posting comments here with Disqus lately? Either you can't post them, or once you do they disappear? I've gotten two complaints in the last few days, so if you've been experiencing any problems please don't hesitate … [Read more...]
NYC to raise on-street parking rates, local news freaks out
New York City has some of the most underpriced parking in the nation, and while there have been a few pilot programs (in the UES, the West Village, and Park Slope) to raise rates during peak hours, it looks like Bloomberg is finally pushing to implement Park Smart citywide. Residential metered … [Read more...]
Sobyanin’s horrific plan for Moscow
It's been a few months since longtime Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov was fired, so I figured it would be a good time to check in on the city. In spite of Moscow's infamous traffic and "perversely-sloped" population density gradient, the former mayor's plan to build 100 km of new metro tracks and over … [Read more...]
Ann Arbor’s biggest problem with medical marijuana? Parking
Of course it would be the only thing standing in the way of Ann Arbor, the famously liberal college town that almost legalized weed in the '60s and '70s, and medical marijuana: Even for some Ann Arbor residents, the city's tacit acceptance started to give way to unease. As more and more … [Read more...]
Premium link list
Recently I've been delaying posting a few things because I wanted to wait till I had more time to cover them, but I'm realizing that I'll probably have new things to write about on the 15th (which is when regular posting will hopefully resume), so have at it – your first ever premium link … [Read more...]