As an economics professor, I often witness the surprise of my students when I explain how something as important as the market for food or clothing is self-regulating. True, there are quality and safety regulations that attempt to control potential hazards “around the edges” of these vital markets, … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2017
Yglesias Gives Best Tweetstorm Ever
Matthew Yglesias has a group of tweets that begin with this:Someone needs to give me an Oscar one of these years so I can subject America to a tedious discussion of land use regulation. — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 27, 2017"In the movies, there is no minimum lot size or … [Read more...]
Market Urbanism MUsings February 24, 2017
1. This week at Market Urbanism: Four Warnings For Los Angeles On Measures SI’m not going to rehash arguments for or against the measure. Instead, I’m going to offer several warnings based on the experience of Davis, CA, which passed its own Ballot Box Zoning Measure in … [Read more...]
Four Warnings For Los Angeles On Measures S
The alternative title for this piece was: "Ballot Box Zoning: Where Needed Housing Goes to Die."Next month, Los Angeles will be voting on Measure S, a proposed 2-year policy that will effectively serve as a moratorium on new construction. That is, Measure S will require a public vote on any new … [Read more...]
World City Profiles: Ancient Rome Really Knew How To City
I've been enjoying the series Meet the Romans, and episode 2 really revealed what I love about many ancient Roman cities. I’ve been to quite a few, though often without knowing beforehand that they were ancient Roman cities. These include cities like Dubrovnik, Split, La Spezia, Florence, … [Read more...]
Market Urbanism MUsings February 10, 2017
1. AnnouncementMichael Lewyn, a UPenn legal scholar and MU contributor, just wrote a book about our concept: "Government Intervention and Suburban Sprawl: The Case for Market Urbanism." More info at Amazon.2. This week at Market Urbanism: Only In California: Twisting an Anti-Exclusionary … [Read more...]
My New Book On Market Urbanism
I am happy to announce that my new book "Government Intervention and Suburban Sprawl: The Case for Market Urbanism" is now available at Amazon. There is a "look inside the book" feature at the book's Amazon webpage for those who would like to know more.I would like to thank not just the readers … [Read more...]
Only In California: Twisting an Anti-Exclusionary Law To Rationalize Exclusion
As a Market Urbanism reader, you are hopefully fluent in the problems of exclusionary zoning. If you're new to the term, there are some good pieces on the topic here and here. Basically: exclusionary zoning is the use of zoning to price people out of a community. The classic example is minimum … [Read more...]