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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Green Amendments Land Use And Transportation: What Could Go Wrong?, Michael Lewyn
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.
Using Youtube To Explain Housing, Michael Lewyn
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.
Does Democracy Justify Zoning?, Michael Lewyn
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
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.
The Case Against The Case For Zoning, Michael Lewyn
The Case Against The Case For Zoning, Michael Lewyn
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Power points used in a presentation on a work in progress, responding to Christopher Serkin's "Case For Zoning" article at 96 Notre Dame L. Rev. 749.
Downtown Condos For The Rich: Not All Bad, Michael Lewyn
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, …
Bringing Judaism Downtown: A Smart Growth Policy For Orthodox Jews, Michael Lewyn
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 …
The Limits Of Equity, Michael Lewyn
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.
Will Zoning Fix Itself?, Michael Lewyn
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.
Socialists And Housing, Michael Lewyn
Socialists And Housing, Michael Lewyn
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My review of Capital City by Samuel Stein
Explaining Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn
Explaining Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn
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Compares Market Urbanism to New Urbanism and Landscape Urbanism
Does The Threat Of Gentrification Justify Restrictive Zoning?, Michael Lewyn
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.
The Roots Of Expensive Zoning, Michael Lewyn
The Roots Of Expensive Zoning, Michael Lewyn
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Review of Zoning Rules, by William Fischel.
Against The Neighborhood Veto, Michael Lewyn
Against The Neighborhood Veto, Michael Lewyn
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American zoning often gives neighborhoods elective veto power over nearby real estate development. This “neighborhood veto” sometimes artificially reduces housing supply and urban density, thus making housing more expensive and making American cities more dependent on automobiles. This article criticizes the common arguments that neighborhood activists use to restrict development.