1. This week at Market Urbanism:
Are “Charter Cities” a Solution? by Sandy Ikeda
What makes a charter city attractive is the prospect of rapidly instituting rules consistent with economic development in an area that might otherwise take decades to do so, offering almost overnight the chance of a better life for the citizens of an impoverished country for whom long-distance immigration is too costly.
While I find myself largely sympathetic to the concept, two things bother me about it.
2. Where’s Scott?
Scott Beyer is spending the holidays in his hometown of Charlottesville, VA, and will fly back Monday to Los Angeles. His Forbes article this week was titled Yimby Nation: The Rise of America’s Pro-Housing Political Coalition
The grassroots activist side sits more on the West Coast, germinating among a colorful hodgepodge of non-profits, informal civic groups, beer hall meetups, blogging and social media platforms, and firebrand individuals, from beachtown gadflies to downtown flâneurs.
3. At the Market Urbanism Facebook Group:
Nga Pham is “being accused of trying to build a ‘mini-hotel that will be ‘airbnb’ or causing a lot of noise and parking problems. or letting people live in the closets. If anyone wants to help with actively voicing Yimby sentiments and is from Berkeley pm me.”
Malia Kristina asks for “Recommendations for articles on the future governance challenges of megacities?”
Robert Stark interviews Charles Marohn from Strong Towns
Roger Valdez wrote: What is to be Done?: Taking on 2017 and Beyond
via David N. Welton, “Interesting and specific example of the market being at odds with “urbanism””: Homebuilders say ‘no’ to Redmond code changes
via Anthony Ling: Urban myth busting: New rental housing and median-income households
via Elizabeth Lasky: Should there be carbon penalties for ‘no growth’ communities?
via Krishan Madan: ‘Morally criminal’ efforts by Pioneer Square developer thwarted [Seattle]
via Jon Seward: Boom in office-to-home conversions drives rise in housing stock
via Kevin Klinkenberg: Buffalo’s zoning code steps into the 21st century
via David N Welton: An Old Slow-Growther Reshapes Himself As Trumpian
via Malia Kristina: Explaining the prevalence, scaling and variance of urban phenomena
4. Elsewhere
Pete Saunders at Forbes: Urbanism Themes — 2016 And Beyond
The rise of YIMBYism. One of the outcomes of the merging of technology and urbanism is the growth of market urbanism, also known as YIMBYism (Yes In My Back Yard). Market urbanists bring a libertarian bent to solving urban problems, with an emphasis on relaxing regulations that impact use like zoning and parking standards, identifying market approaches to improving urban services like public transit, and utilizing technology to make governance more efficient. The past year has seen a rapid growth and expansion of the intellectual framework for the YIMBY movement, and movement supporters held the first-ever YIMBY conference in Boulder, CO this past June. It’s clear that YIMBY influence will grow in 2017.
Saunders, however, doesn’t seem to buy fully into Market Urbanism in an earlier Forbes piece More Housing To Address Affordability? Be Careful What You Wish For
via Todd Krainin: ReasonTV’s in-depth look at Gurgaon, a (mostly) privately-run city of 2 million people that didn’t exist 30 years ago.
Stackable micro-apartments for the homeless in San Francisco
Another reminder to fund Kim-Mai Cutler’s Yimby comic book Kickstarter, Burrowing Owls, Vomiting Anarchists & SF Housing: The Comic
5. Stephen Smith‘s tweet of the week:
In case you thought NYC real estate was a free market, here’s Alicia Glen trying to decide where the movie theaters and “studios” should go https://t.co/yZrPTDWvEj
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) December 28, 2016
