1. The title quote comes from this gem of an LA Weekly article about proposed changes to Hollywood's zoning code which would allow for taller buildings and denser development. According to the Weekly, "For decades, zoning that governs height and size has preserved thousands of affordable, low-slung, … [Read more...]
The Coase Theorem in Land Use
On a recent post about property rights in the land market, commenter David Sucher brought up the issue of transaction costs. He commented here and at his blog City Comforts: The "least intrusive means" should be always kept in mind. The only issue for me is the huge transaction costs which, I … [Read more...]
William Fischel On The Origins of Zoning
If you’ve ever done a Google Scholar search for anything zoning related, you’ll probably recognize the name William Fischel. He’s an economic historian at Dartmouth who’s written a lot about local government, and especially land use regulations. He’s got a wide-ranging paper published in 2004 called … [Read more...]
Tea Partying at Planning Meetings
At the Atlantic Cities, Anthony Flint writes on recent Tea Party activism in urban development arena. Tea Party groups across the country have spoken out against all manner of urbanist plans, from CAHSR to Smart Growth in Florida. Flint opines: What’s driving the rebellion is a view that government … [Read more...]
Urbanization and GDP
I am no macroeconomist; however, I think there are some important dots to connect between cities and economic growth. The Gated City by Ryan Avent, (discussed more in depth here), explores this thesis and offers a nice overview of the research that links population density and productivity. He cites … [Read more...]
TGIF Links
1. A reader from Vancouver wrote in to let Stephen and me know about a proposed policy to tax foreign investors at a higher rate than local property owners. Support for this policy is growing among residents, and with a mayoral election this Saturday, some are hoping to get candidates to endorse the … [Read more...]
Affordable Housing vs. Density: The Unintended Consequences of Zoning Bonuses
California Assembly Bill 710 was introduced to earlier this year to tackle the problem of municipalities requiring onerous amounts of parking for new development, widely recognized as one of the main impediments to transit-oriented development and infill growth. The bill would have capped city and … [Read more...]
Alon Levy on the Suburbanization of Poverty
Over at Pedestrian Observations, Alon Levy has a typically well-written and researched post on the gentrification of poverty. He explores the well-researched trend that low-income Americans are increasingly moving to the suburbs as gentrification is driving up rents in inner cities. He hypothesizes … [Read more...]