I recently read a highly publicized pro-NIMBY book, Vanishing New York. The author, who goes by the pen name "Jeremiah Moss" tells a simple story: throughout New York, gentrification and chain stores are on the march, making the city rich and boring. The story has an element of truth: obviously, … [Read more...]
“Curb Rights” at 20: A Summary and Review
At 4:30 am, alarms on my cellphone and tablet start beeping, just enough out of sync to prompt me to get up and turn them off. By 5:00 am, I riding as a passenger along an unusually sedate New Jersey Turnpike, making friendly conversation with my driver and survey partner to make sure he stays … [Read more...]
A Guide to Urban Development [Guia de Gestão Urbana]
![A Guide to Urban Development [Guia de Gestão Urbana]](https://i0.wp.com/ec2-34-201-95-206.compute-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GGU_COVER.png?fit=614%2C408)
Caos Planejado, in conjunction with Editora BEI/ArqFuturo, recently published A Guide to Urban Development (Guia de Gestão Urbana) by Anthony Ling. The book offers best practices for urban design and although it was written for a Brazilian audience, many of its recommendations have universal … [Read more...]
Richard Florida and Market Urbanism
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...]
Richard Florida Should Replace The Term ‘Creative Class’ With ‘Country Club’
Here’s a fun fact about me: I embody the Creative Class.I live in a big, old witchhatted townhouse between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan in Washington, DC. I love locally raised produce and my exposed brick yoga studio has a juice bar. I fall in love with every silver bullet remedy for civic … [Read more...]
Book Review of The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper
I’m reviewing The Heights: Anatomy of the Skyscraper by Kate Ascher as part of a TLC Book Tour. Other bloggers are also reviewing the book, and you can find links to their reviews here. I received a complimentary copy of the book, and I’d like to send it to a reader if anyone is interested in … [Read more...]