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.
The Criminalization Of Walking, Michael Lewyn
Dec 2016
The Criminalization Of Walking, Michael Lewyn
Michael E Lewyn
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 …
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.
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.