(Market Urbanism contributor Brent Gaisford, far right, moderates a political strategy session at the monthly Abundant Housing LA meeting. This is one of the many self-described “YIMBY” groups popping up in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities / photo by Scott Beyer)
1. This week at Market Urbansim:
Same Old Story: How Planners Continue to Drive Gentrification by Nolan Gray
Planners, like all professions, have their own useful mythologies. A popular one goes something like this: “Many years ago, us planners did naughty things. We pushed around the poor, demolished minority neighborhoods, and forced gentrification. But that’s all over today. Now we protect the disadvantaged against the vagaries of the unrestrained market.”
Urban Mass Transit Out Of Suburban Sprawl by Sandy Ikeda
The trick is to find “rules of the game” – such as private property and norms of reciprocity – that over time generate consequences that correct errors and promote rather than prevent social cooperation. While economists and social theorists since Adam Smith have understood this, many in the urban-planning profession don’t seem to have fully grasped the message.
2. Where’s Scott?
Scott Beyer is in Los Angeles, and this weekend will visit Anaheim, Huntington Beach and other previously unexplored parts of Orange County. His two Forbes articles this week were Oklahoma City’s MAPS Is A Model Public Works Program and Oakland’s Warehouse Tragedy Resulted From Too Little Housing Construction
As long as this mismatch remains–thousands of new people per year, only hundreds of new units–many Oaklandites will live in substandard housing, from dangerous warehouses to overcrowded apartments to poorly-maintained rent-controlled units that tenants are scared to leave.
3. At the Market Urbanism Facebook Group:
Donald Shoup, Quan Yuan, and Xin Jiang wrote: Charging for Parking to Finance Public Services
Anthony Ling translated Mark Lutter‘s article, Instead Of Temporary Camps, We Should Let Refugees Build Their Own Flourishing Cities to Portuguese
John Morris asks, “How might the still emerging local and state government pension crisis affect land use? Zoning clearly reduces potential revenues from taxable property. Could strained budgets and insolvency make pensioners and creditors more open to reform?”
Roger Valdez wrote: Give Cash Payments To Families For Housing
Adam Lang shared a recent run-in with a local politician, “many of you would be amused about the behind the scenes workings of zoning in Philadelphia.”
via Garrett Malcolm Petersen, “What could possibly go wrong?” B.C. offers interest-free loans up to $37,500 to 1st-time homebuyers
via Dante Ramos, “The City of Boston launches a Shoupian experiment with higher parking-meter rates.“
via Adam Lang: Vancouver Home Prices Jump a Quick 40%. So Why Is No One Building?
via Joe McKinney: Humanitarian experts propose turning refugee camps into enterprise zones called “refugee cities”
4. Elsewhere:
Stephen Smith seemed to be the only one talking about softening rents in NYC. Others are noticing:
Slate: Rents Are Falling in New York City. Is This a Crash?
6sqft: Are concessions and a high vacancy rate a sign the rental bubble will burst?
5. Stephen Smith‘s tweet of the week:
Where is the real estate media on this? Rents are dropping like it’s 2008 and not a peep.
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) December 12, 2016
