Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Urban Studies and Planning Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Michael E Lewyn

Housing Law

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Urban Studies and Planning

Midat Sodom And The Housing Affordability Crisis, Michael Lewyn Feb 2019

Midat Sodom And The Housing Affordability Crisis, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Ancient Jewish texts states that the city of Sodom was overthrown because of its hostility to hospitality. Today, American cities often limit new housing; is this policy analogous to midat Sodom (Hebrew for "the ways of Sodom")? What arguments justify these policies, and what counter-arguments are relevant to those arguments?

Go to article

Planetizen Blog Posts- First Half Of 2019, Michael Lewyn Dec 2018

Planetizen Blog Posts- First Half Of 2019, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Op-ed length articles on various land use-related issues.

Go to article

Market Urbanism Blog Posts - First Half Of 2019, Michael Lewyn Dec 2018

Market Urbanism Blog Posts - First Half Of 2019, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Blog posts on urban issues, mostly related to housing costs.

Go to article

Do You Believe In Ghost Apartments?, Michael Lewyn Dec 2018

Do You Believe In Ghost Apartments?, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

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 …

Go to article

Introduction To Transit-Oriented Development, Michael Lewyn Oct 2018

Introduction To Transit-Oriented Development, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Explains how transit-oriented development differs from the automobile-oriented development that surrounds many suburban train stations, why the former is desirable, and what sort of zoning changes promote such development.

Go to article

The Rise Of Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn Jun 2018

The Rise Of Market Urbanism, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

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.

Go to article

The Neighborhood Veto And Its Discontents, Michael Lewyn Feb 2018

The Neighborhood Veto And Its Discontents, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Discusses negative side effects of neighborhood input on land use decisions related to housing. In particular, my speech suggests that the "neighborhood veto" over rezonings increases housing supply by reducing housing prices, and makes development more car-oriented by reducing population density.

Go to article

2018 July-December Market Urbanism Blog Posts, Michael Lewyn Dec 2017

2018 July-December Market Urbanism Blog Posts, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Posts at marketurbanism.com

Go to article

My Planetizen Blog Posts July-August 2017, Michael Lewyn Dec 2016

My Planetizen Blog Posts July-August 2017, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Blog posts reprinted from planetizen.com

Go to article

Does The Threat Of Gentrification Justify Restrictive Zoning?, Michael Lewyn Dec 2016

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

Michael E Lewyn

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.

Go to article

Planetizen Blog Posts September-December 2017, Michael Lewyn Dec 2016

Planetizen Blog Posts September-December 2017, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Blog posts related to public transit, housing costs, and other urban issues.

Go to article

2017 Market Urbanism Report Blog Posts, Michael Lewyn Dec 2016

2017 Market Urbanism Report Blog Posts, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

2017 posts on various urban issues (also available at https://marketurbanismreport.com/author/michael/ )

Go to article

The Roots Of Expensive Zoning, Michael Lewyn Dec 2015

The Roots Of Expensive Zoning, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Review of Zoning Rules, by William Fischel.

Go to article

How Real Is Gentrification?, Michael Lewyn Dec 2013

How Real Is Gentrification?, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Some commentators argue that gentrification is turning many cities into a playground for the rich. This article rejects that view, pointing out that even relatively affluent cities are still poorer than the average suburb.

Go to article