by Stephen SmithAt the risk of beating the parking theme deader than the Ground Zero Mosque, here are some recent parking-related stories published around the world:The NYC DOT's Park Smart program has been called a success in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, and officials are … [Read more...]
Why does the Infrastructurist hate libertarians so much?
by Stephen SmithAmong urban planners, libertarianism gets a pretty bad rap. Melissa Lafsky at the Infrastructurist goes so far as to call libertarianism "an enemy of infrastructure," and dismisses entirely the idea that private industry can build infrastructure with a single hyperlink – to a … [Read more...]
Shoupistas take Los Angeles
by Stephen SmithDonald Shoup and his arguments about free and underpriced parking have been getting quite a bit of press recently, and it looks like Shoup's hometown of Los Angeles has surpassed San Francisco (with its SFpark initiative) as the largest city in America to adopt some of his … [Read more...]
Even Midtown Manhattan not immune to anti-density NIMBYism
by Stephen SmithIn general, I think of Manhattan below Central Park as perhaps the freest place in America in terms of land use restrictions. There are no minimum parking regulations, zoning variances are relatively easy to get, and FAR restrictions are relatively generous. Historical … [Read more...]
New empirical evidence that parking minimums encourage sprawl
by Stephen SmithAlthough we at Market Urbanism are big fans of Donald Shoup's work on parking minimums, we have to admit that rigorous econometric evidence that parking minimums mandate more parking than the market would otherwise supply has been a bit lacking. Randal O'Toole at The Antiplanner … [Read more...]
Private buses make a comeback in NYC
by Stephen SmithTransit activists have been bemoaning recent cuts in the MTA's bus routes throughout New York City, but the cuts may have a silver lining, in particular for market urbanists: they may usher in the return of private buses to the streets of New York City. Private buses (and … [Read more...]
NYC’s lingering obsession with parking minimums may come to an end
by Stephen SmithBack in February Streetsblog had a good three-part series on planning changes in New York City since the beginning of Michael Bloomberg's term, and while they had a lot of praise for upzonings that have occurred throughout much of the four urban boroughs, they highlighted minimum … [Read more...]
HSR crowding out local transportation projects
by Stephen SmithYet another way in which Obama's high-speed rail plans are derailing actual progress in getting Americans out of their cars:BUENA PARK, Calif. — Mayor Art Brown spent years pushing for a commuter train station combined with nearby housing in his community. But as townhouses … [Read more...]