Urban, Community and Regional Planning | Open Access Articles

The False Hope Of Comprehensive Planning, Michael Lewyn Mar 2013

The False Hope Of Comprehensive Planning, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Some commentators on sprawl and smart growth speak of municipal comprehensive plans and sprawl as polar opposites: but in fact, a comprehensive plan can be used to further auto-oriented sprawl just as easily as it can be used to encourage more pedestrian-friendly development. This speech uses parts of Jacksonville, Florida's plan as examples of pro-sprawl planning.

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Why Leave It To The Liberals? Conservative Views On Smart Growth, Michael E. Lewyn Feb 2013

Why Leave It To The Liberals? Conservative Views On Smart Growth, Michael E. Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Part of panel discussion on "Why Leave It To The Liberals? Conservative Views on Smart Growth"

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Sprawl In Canada And The United States (Powerpoint), Michael E. Lewyn May 2011

Sprawl In Canada And The United States (Powerpoint), Michael E. Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

PowerPoints for a speech explaining that sprawl in Canada is (1) less extensive than in the USA and (2) caused partially by government regulation.

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What Would Coase Do? (About Parking Regulation), Michael E. Lewyn Dec 2009

What Would Coase Do? (About Parking Regulation), Michael E. Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

American municipalities typically require landowners to provide visitors and guests with ample amounts of parking, in order to prevent externalities such as cruising (drivers wasting gasoline and polluting the air while searching for scarce parking). However, minimum parking requirements may create social harms that outweigh this benefit. By artificially increasing the supply of parking, minimum parking requirements effectively subsidize driving, thus increasing rather than decreasing pollution and congestion.

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Keep It Local, Michael E. Lewyn Mar 2009

Keep It Local, Michael E. Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Criticizes state-imposed limits on local taxation on the ground that state governments have no legitimate interest in setting local tax rates.

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A Tale Of Two School Systems, Michael E. Lewyn Feb 2009

A Tale Of Two School Systems, Michael E. Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Explains that suburban schools are more popular than urban schools primarily due to their more socially homogenous student bodies, and suggests that urban school systems seek to retain students through expanded magnet school programs.

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The Road Not Taken, Michael E. Lewyn Oct 2008

The Road Not Taken, Michael E. Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Defends Jacksonville's annexation of its Duval County suburbs, and compares Jacksonville's post-annexation fate with that of less elastic southern cities.

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How Government Regulation Forces Americans Into Their Cars: A Case Study, Michael E Lewyn Jun 2007