Integrating rail and property development is the cornerstone of the MTR’s success. In the U.S., coordination between transit authorities and developers tends to be mediocre at best. In Hong Kong, however, the MTR is both the transit authority as well as the property owner, and this makes all the … [Read more...]
How Land Prices Obviate the Need for Euclidean Zoning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-zESacteu4Yesterday, Reason TV released a video comparing Houston with more heavily regulated East Coast cities, explaining that Houston's relatively lax land use regulations contribute to its housing costs that are much lower than in other large cities. While the … [Read more...]
Glamour in streetscapes
A while ago I attended an Urban Land Institute event on development trends in Fairfax's Mosaic District. A presenter from the retail developer EDENS described their strategy of adding "sidewalk jewelry," a design technique used to entice shoppers to travel down sidewalks between stores. Having never … [Read more...]
The Use of Knowledge in Urban Development
This post was written for an essay contest on the question "What would Hayek say today?"Hayek and other Austrian economists demonstrated that government ownership of the means of production is a sure route to poverty, but today, central planning remains the norm in one crucial area: cities. In the … [Read more...]
Urban-Rural Political Alliances Hurt Cities
While House Republicans have stripped food stamp benefits from the farm bill to get enough votes to pass the bill's agricultural supports, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program may be added back into the bill in conference with the Senate. The farm bill get its strength because it aligns … [Read more...]
Ranking State Land Use Regulations
Yesterday, the Mercatus Center released the third edition of Freedom in the 50 States by Will Ruger and Jason Sorens. The authors break down state freedom among regulatory, fiscal, and personal categories. At the study's website, readers can re-rank the states based on the aspects of freedom that … [Read more...]
Developer size and development patterns
Earlier this week I attended an Urban Land Institute event about DC's new development, The Yards on the Anacostia waterfront. This is a 42-acre area which was formerly a manufacturing center for the Navy. In 2003, Forest City Washington purchased the site from the General Services Administration for … [Read more...]
Q&A with David Schleicher
I recently spoke with George Mason University Law Professor David Schleicher about his research on land use law and economics. Here is our conversation including links to some of his academic articles that have earned a lot of attention in the land use blogosphere.Emily: What are some the costs … [Read more...]