This academic paper presents a simulation of urban neighbourhood formation and growth based on the economic theory of property rights.
The simulation shows that stable and efficient neighborhoods can evolve from a random distribution of "good" neighbors who offer voluntary reductions in the activities that reduce the welfare of neighbors. However, such neighbourhoods may not evolve and the city may fragment into inefficient neighborhoods in which the normal prisoner's dilemma dynamic holds; or into unstable neighborhoods. Which type of city emerges is purely a matter of chance and depends on the initial spatial distribution of good neighbors.
Thanks to Planning & Markets Editor
FULL STORY: Contractual Agreements And Neighbourhood Evolution

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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Planning for Universal Design
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