With nothing quick to blog about and not being in the mood to write something long, I dug into the Google Scholar pool for some interesting empirical work, which is something this blog hasn't featured in a while. This paper shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but it's interesting empirical work … [Read more...]
Mandates that fall only on multifamily development
So I'm reading a PlanPhilly article about a proposal to mandate half-baths on the ground level and front doors without steps for new residential units ("visitability," they call it), and while I don't think that it's a bright idea to begin with, this part struck me as particularly dumb, albeit very … [Read more...]
Weekend link megalist
This is probably my favorite link list yet...enjoy!1. The WSJ claims that delinquent homeowners can expect to stay in their homes after making their last mortgage payment – that is, they can live rent-free – for at least 16 months. The longer it takes for foreclosures to happen, the longer it … [Read more...]
LI Dems to councilman: oppose density so we can get reelected
Earlier today I was reading this article about "cupcake moms" at the local PTA mobilizing online against TOD in Huntington Station, a hamlet in Long Island, and while it looked like your average suburban NIMBY story, this part of the Long Island Press story jumped out at me: [Supervisor] Petrone … [Read more...]
Development as preservation
I don't think it's a secret that we here at Market Urbanism are skeptical of mandatory historical preservation of private property, but until recently I hadn't realized how utterly counterproductive some of these efforts really are. I'm talking specifically about cases where historical preservation … [Read more...]
Enlightened blogspam
I've always said that some day spammers are going to become so creative in their filler content that it actually becomes better than the median good-faith commenter. Well, that day has finally arrived!From some Romanians spamming for a Bucharest car rental service on two articles on rent … [Read more...]
A handful of tall buildings being allowed on Paris’ outskirts
I'm sure this is a copyright violation, but this blog isn't very big and hopefully the AFP will appreciate the free translation. There were so many interesting things in this article about Paris' first experiment in over 30 years with tall buildings, and American sources make the plan sound a lot … [Read more...]
Almost-Thanksgiving list
Unfortunately, none of these things are really things to be thankful for:1. 81% of Americans disagree with Kelo v. City of New London in a 2009 survey, with the wording being quite generous to the pro-takings side.2. Who possibly could have thought this was a good idea? It's like they took … [Read more...]