Another look at Edward Glaeser's provocative new book Triumph of the City, this time by reporter Mary Newsom and with a focus on Glaeser's opinions on the city and the environment.
Newsom says that Glaeser's arguments are similar to those posed in David Owen's 2009 book Green Metropolis; namely, that the best way to save the environment is to live in the city:
"...but Glaeser's policy prescriptions are stronger, if less politically practical. As a free-market economist, he supports both London-style congestion pricing, charging motorists a fee to drive in the center city, as well as a carbon tax, as incentives to use resources more efficiently. He is deeply critical of the home mortgage interest deduction and the federal interstate highway system as subsidies for suburban sprawl."
In other ways, says Newsom, Glaeser's environmental analyses are "shallow."
FULL STORY: Triumph of the City
California's Most Controversial Housing Bill Advances with Amendments
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Koch Brothers Behind Local Transit Losses Nationwide
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Home Ownership Subsidy Takes a $250,000 Hit in Final Version of Tax Bill
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won
A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.
Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide
Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.
Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code
The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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JM Goldson LLC
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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