Among Egypt's pro-democracy protesters, graffiti has played an important role in the communication, providing a platform for free speech under military rule. The Associated Press reports: Graffiti has turned into perhaps the most fertile artistic expression of Egypt's uprising, shifting rapidly to … [Read more...]
New York’s Funny Definition Of ‘Moderate- and Middle-Income’ Housing
Pretty interesting article in the NYT today about the Gotham West development that recently broke ground on Manhattan‘s far west side. But I think the part about affordable housing could use some context: But the bulk of the project will be affordable units, 682 of them, or more than half the … [Read more...]
Italy’s Austerity Plan Spurs Transport Deregulation
There’s been a lot of handwringing by American lefties over the austerity plans that Germany is asking indebted eurozone governments like Italy and Greece to implement in exchange for bailouts, but many aspects of the plans – especially labor market deregulation – are long overdue no matter … [Read more...]
The Coase Theorem in Land Use
On a recent post about property rights in the land market, commenter David Sucher brought up the issue of transaction costs. He commented here and at his blog City Comforts: The "least intrusive means" should be always kept in mind. The only issue for me is the huge transaction costs which, I … [Read more...]
The Central Park Caper And Transit NIMBYism
It has often been suggested that one of the reasons that American subway construction is so expensive is that our laws are too friendly to NIMBYs. That is to say, contractors will be paid to engineer expensive, long-term solutions to avoid short-term disruptions to neighbors during construction. The … [Read more...]
Betting the Farm on Oregon Iron Works
"Made in USA"...and don't you forget it! United Streetcar, led by its former lobbyist, Chandra Brown, is ostensibly a manufacturer, though its greatest asset seems to be its ability to win government contractors.... … [Read more...]
Real Estate and Revolution in Moscow
From an interesting NYT analysis of Russia’s new protesting class – young, urban, and doing pretty well: It is a paradox, but one that has been documented by social scientists: the residents of Moscow and other large cities tend to express greater frustration with Prime Minister Putin as his … [Read more...]
The Progressive Reaction Against NYC’s First Subway
nycsubway.org has an amazing trove of transit history, and I just got done reading “The Impact of the IRT on New York City” by Clifton Hood, on the effects of New York‘s first subway rapid transit line, first opened in 1904. There’s so much in it to recommend, but one of the … [Read more...]