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Do Americans Support More Housing?, Michael Lewyn Jan 2024

Do Americans Support More Housing?, Michael Lewyn

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An analysis of opinion poll data on housing issues. The article finds that Americans generally believe that their community needs more housing of all types, but are more closely divided about whether such housing should be in their own neighborhoods. The article further finds that members of minority groups, lower-income Americans, and younger Americans are more pro-housing than older, affluent whites.


Green Amendments Land Use And Transportation: What Could Go Wrong?, Michael Lewyn Jan 2024

Green Amendments Land Use And Transportation: What Could Go Wrong?, Michael Lewyn

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Numerous states have amended their constitutions to include a green amendment (that is, an amendment providing that the state's citizens have a right to a healthy environment). Unfortunately, the vagueness of these amendments leaves an enormous amount of interpretative power to courts. This article examines how some courts have interpreted green amendments and how these interpretations risk the misuse of green amendments. Additionally, this article examines how such misuse may be avoided.


Intentional Discrimination And Haredi Jews, Michael Lewyn Jan 2023

Intentional Discrimination And Haredi Jews, Michael Lewyn

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A discussion of case law involving discrimination suits by Haredi Jews, especially in the land use context.


Using Youtube To Explain Housing, Michael Lewyn Jan 2023

Using Youtube To Explain Housing, Michael Lewyn

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In 2021, the author ran for Borough President of Manhattan, New York. The author tried to his scholarship into his campaign by producing over twenty Youtube videos, most of which addressed land use and housing policy. The article describes the videos, and evaluates their usefulness.


Commentary: Dan Mandelker—A Land-Use Legacy Unlike Any Other, Patricia E. Salkin Jan 2023

Commentary: Dan Mandelker—A Land-Use Legacy Unlike Any Other, Patricia E. Salkin

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It is an honor to share thoughts about the importance of Professor Daniel Mandelker’s legacy to the field of land-use and zoning law. The word “legacy” means, among other things, “something that is part of your history or that remains from an earlier time.” At ninety-two, he was the longest actively teaching land use law professor in the United States. His academic career began in 1949 when he was appointed an Assistant Professor at Drake Law School, with relatively short stints at the University of Indiana Law School and Columbia Law School, followed by his appointment at Washington University School …


New York’S Professor John R. Nolon: A National Leader In Land Use Law With A Large Impact Across The Hudson Valley And The State Of New York, Patricia E. Salkin, Samuel Stewart Jan 2023

New York’S Professor John R. Nolon: A National Leader In Land Use Law With A Large Impact Across The Hudson Valley And The State Of New York, Patricia E. Salkin, Samuel Stewart

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As Professor John R. Nolon steps down from active law teaching, this article reflects not only on his contributions as a national thought leader in the field, but also on how he has a hand in changing the land use and conservation patterns in New York while promoting affordable housing and combating discrimination.


Does Democracy Justify Zoning?, Michael Lewyn Jan 2022

Does Democracy Justify Zoning?, Michael Lewyn

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One common argument for restrictive zoning is that zoning is more democratic than allowing landowners to build what they please. This article critiques that claim, suggesting that free markets are equally democratic because they allow for self-rule. Moreover, zoning is less democratic than other forms of government decisionmaking, because zoning hearings are often sparsely attended, and commenters at public meetings are unrepresentative of the public as a whole.


Land Costs And New Housing, Michael Lewyn Jan 2022

Land Costs And New Housing, Michael Lewyn

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Restrictive zoning limits housing supply, which (according to the law of supply and demand) increases housing costs. But some commentators argue that more permissive zoning would actually increase housing costs by increasing land costs. This article points out that if the latter claim was true, land costs would have risen in places that allowed lots of new housing and fallen in more restrictive regions such as San Francisco. In fact, land costs increased in both types of metro areas. More importantly, overall housing costs increased more rapidly in more restrictive metros.


Will Zoning Fix Itself?, Michael Lewyn Jan 2021

Will Zoning Fix Itself?, Michael Lewyn

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Typically, zoning artificially limits housing supply, thus increasing housing costs. One possible defense of this system is that zoning can fix itself- that is, that when rents and housing costs become unusually high, politicians will deregulate and thus reduce housing costs. This article suggests that such a happy result is unlikely; instead, where housing costs spiral out of control, voters and politicians are likely to make regulation even more strict out of a fear of gentrification.


Nine Ways Of Looking At Oklahoma City: An Essay On Sam Anderson’S Boom Town, Rodger D. Citron Jan 2021

Nine Ways Of Looking At Oklahoma City: An Essay On Sam Anderson’S Boom Town, Rodger D. Citron

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No abstract provided.


Yimby And Covid-19, Michael Lewyn Jan 2021

Yimby And Covid-19, Michael Lewyn

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Discusses whether the COVID-19 pandemic strengthens the case for the pro-housing YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement.


Bringing Judaism Downtown: A Smart Growth Policy For Orthodox Jews, Michael Lewyn Jan 2021

Bringing Judaism Downtown: A Smart Growth Policy For Orthodox Jews, Michael Lewyn

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Until the late 20th century, the most rigorously traditional Jews, haredi Jews (often referred to as “ultra-Orthodox”) tended to congregate in New York City. But as New York became more expensive and haredi population grew due to high birth rates, some haredi Jews (known collectively as “haredim”) moved to small towns and outer suburbs in search of cheaper land, sometimes creating towns dominated by haredim such as Kiryas Joel, New York and Lakewood, New Jersey. As haredi populations have continued to grow, their households now seek undeveloped land outside these enclaves. But as haredim move deeper into the countryside, zoning …


Downtown Condos For The Rich: Not All Bad, Michael Lewyn Jan 2021

Downtown Condos For The Rich: Not All Bad, Michael Lewyn

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Some new condominiums in urban neighborhoods are too expensive for anyone but the very wealthy. Buyers of these high-cost units include not only wealthy city residents, but also nonresidents who wish to use housing as an investment rather than a residence. Some commentators use this apparent fact as an argument against new market-rate housing generally; they claim that new housing will be purchased by out-of-town investors rather than used by local residents and that those investors will leave housing units empty, rather than renting them out. A related argument is that, even if market-rate condos are purchased by local residents, …


The Limits Of Equity, Michael Lewyn Jan 2021

The Limits Of Equity, Michael Lewyn

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"Equity" is a common buzzword in urban planning circles. However, nearly any land use decision can be justified as more equitable than the alternatives.


Death Need Not Part Owners And Their Pets: Regulating Pet Cemeteries Through Zoning Regulation, Patricia E. Salkin, Sydney Gross Jan 2020

Death Need Not Part Owners And Their Pets: Regulating Pet Cemeteries Through Zoning Regulation, Patricia E. Salkin, Sydney Gross

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Pet ownership in the United States has grown substantially over the years. In the past, when a family pet died, it was typically buried in the back yard or cremated by the local veterinarian who might return the ashes to the owner if requested. Today the relationship between people and their pets is different. In many cases pets are treated like members of the family, and a growing number of people wish to be buried alongside their pet either in a burial ground for human remains or for animal remains. Others wish to inter their pets in a specially designated …


Subways And Covid-19: A Literature Review, Michael Lewyn Jan 2020

Subways And Covid-19: A Literature Review, Michael Lewyn

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Discusses a variety of articles and blog posts which address the impact (or lack thereof) of the New York subway system upon the COVID-19 pandemic.


The Law Of The Eruv, Michael Lewyn Jan 2020

The Law Of The Eruv, Michael Lewyn

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Describes case law governing municipal regulation of the eruv (an artificial enclosure designed to allow observant Jews to carry on the Jewish Sabbath). The article focuses on First Amendment case law, and concludes that a municipality may prohibit eruvin only pursuant to a regulation that is enforced against comparable secular signs.


Socialists And Housing, Michael Lewyn Jan 2020

Socialists And Housing, Michael Lewyn

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My review of Capital City by Samuel Stein


Make New York Affordable Again, Michael Lewyn Jan 2019

Make New York Affordable Again, Michael Lewyn

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Suggests a package of zoning reforms to hold down New York City housing costs, and responds to counterarguments.


Do You Believe In Ghost Apartments?, Michael Lewyn Jan 2019

Do You Believe In Ghost Apartments?, Michael Lewyn

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According to the popular press, expensive cities are being overrun by "ghost apartments"- condominiums owned by wealthy foreigners, but used as investments rather than being rented out to local residents. This article points out that such apartments are in fact a very small percentage of housing supply, even in some cities that are supposedly overran with such condos.More importantly, the existence of new “ghost apartments” does not justify exclusionary zoning policies. If a city popular with foreign investors discourages construction of new housing, investors are likely to purchase older housing units, outbidding local residents for those units. In this scenario, …


Relationships And Ethics In The Land Use Game, Patricia E. Salkin, Thomas Brown, Aisha Scholes Jan 2019

Relationships And Ethics In The Land Use Game, Patricia E. Salkin, Thomas Brown, Aisha Scholes

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Ethical considerations in the land use decision making process can be organized into a number of categories, including, first and foremost, the broad subject of conflicts of interest.1 Players in the land use game can find themselves in real or perceived conflicts situations based on personal financial interests resulting from investments, including businesses and real estate holdings (such as the location of their property vis-à-vis the location of the subject property before the Board), employment for themselves or members of their immediate family, and memberships in nonprofit organizations that may be either passive or active (e.g., simply dues paying member …


Mitigating Climate Change Through Transportation And Land Use Policy, Alejandro E. Camacho, Melissa L. Kelly, Nicholas J. Marantz, Gabriel Weil Jan 2019

Mitigating Climate Change Through Transportation And Land Use Policy, Alejandro E. Camacho, Melissa L. Kelly, Nicholas J. Marantz, Gabriel Weil

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A number of U.S. state and local governments have adopted strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation and land development. Although some have made significant progress in reducing GHG emissions from the power sector, transportation emissions in most states continue to rise. This Article details the range of existing and proposed state interventions to reduce transportation sector GHG emissions, analyzes the trade offs of these strategies, and offers recommendations to improve and supplement such initiatives, including strategic use of planning mandates and funding and technical assistance. Additionally, regulating land use, shifting transportation spending, removing barriers to implementing road …


The Rise Of Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn Jul 2018

The Rise Of Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn

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Compares market urbanism to new urbanism and to defenders of suburban sprawl. Like new urbanists, market urbanists find urban life to be socially valuable, and emphasize that sprawl is not always in line with consumer preferences. But market urbanists are more likely to emphasize the role of government regulation in creating suburbanization, and to oppose anti-sprawl land use regulations.


Bicycle-Friendly Policies, Michael Lewyn Jan 2018

Bicycle-Friendly Policies, Michael Lewyn

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A review of Copenhagenize by Mikael Colville-Andersen


Incentive Compatible Climate Change Mitigation: Moving Beyond The Pledge And Review Model, Gabriel Weil Jan 2018

Incentive Compatible Climate Change Mitigation: Moving Beyond The Pledge And Review Model, Gabriel Weil

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Climate change represents a global commons problem, where individuals, businesses, and nation-states all lack sufficient incentives to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to levels consistent with meeting their collectively agreed upon mitigation goals. The current "pledge and review" paradigm for global climate change mitigation, which many see as a major breakthrough, relies primarily on moral pressure, reputational incentives, and global public opinion to foster cooperation on mitigation efforts over and above those driven by maximization of narrow conceptions of national interests. Given the scale of the emissions reductions required to meet stated mitigation goals, the substantial economic costs of deep …


Explaining Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn Jan 2018

Explaining Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn

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Compares Market Urbanism to New Urbanism and Landscape Urbanism


The Criminalization Of Walking, Michael Lewyn Jan 2017

The Criminalization Of Walking, Michael Lewyn

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The simple act of walking is sometimes criminalized in the United States. Anti-jaywalking statutes and ordinances—originally motivated by auto-industry lobbyists in the 1920s—call for fines and, sometimes, imprisonment for crossing the street. Additionally, some localities have interpreted statutes against “child neglect” to encompass a parent’s decision to let their kid walk outside alone. The result of this criminalization? Such policies have reduced pedestrian liberty, increased automobile traffic and pollution, and created a disincentive for physical activity in the midst of an obesity and diabetes epidemic. In addition to discussing these effects, this Article argues that the purported safety benefits of …


The Environmentalist Case For Sprawl- And Why It Fails, Michael Lewyn Jan 2017

The Environmentalist Case For Sprawl- And Why It Fails, Michael Lewyn

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Environmentalists generally favor compact, walkable development, because development that reduces automobile use may reduce automobile-related pollution. Defenders of suburban sprawl argue, however, that compact development may actually increase pollution in a variety of ways. This article criticizes the latter argument.,


Does The Threat Of Gentrification Justify Restrictive Zoning?, Michael Lewyn Jan 2017

Does The Threat Of Gentrification Justify Restrictive Zoning?, Michael Lewyn

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Historically, progressives have opposed restrictive zoning, arguing that by restricting the housing supply to high-end housing, zoning reduces the supply of housing available to lower-income Americans. But recently, some progressives have suggested that new market-rate housing facilitates gentrification and displacement of lower-income renters. This article critically examines that theory.


Attacking Smart Growth, Michael Lewyn Jan 2017

Attacking Smart Growth, Michael Lewyn

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Review of The Human City, by Joel Kotkin