Sunday reading 4 September 2016
Welcome back to Sunday reading. Our lead article: sheep.
A Guardian article by Will Coldwell describes how the Faroe Islands have developed Google SheepView to map their landscape:
Living across 18 tiny sub-polar islands in the north Atlantic, Faroe islanders are used to working in difficult conditions.…
35 Comments Zoning reform: Is the Unitary Plan any good? (2 of n)
This is the second post in an ongoing series on the politics and economic of zoning reform. The first part looked at the costs, benefits, and distributional impacts of reforming urban planning rules to enable more development. This part takes a more specific look at the most recent reform to Auckland’s planning system: the Unitary Plan.…
Housing is popular
I’ve written several blog posts talking about challenges facing local democracy and consultation processes. This is an important issue. Harvard economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson make a convincing argument that inclusive political institutions, such as broad electoral franchises and transparent policy processes, are the essential element for countries’ long-term economic and social success.…
Zoning reform: Costs, benefits, and distributional impacts (1 of n)
This is the first part in an open-ended series on the economics and politics of zoning reform. The Unitary Plan decision means that Auckland’s urban planning framework is set for the short to medium term – albeit with inevitable appeals and changes.…
Sunday Reading 21 August 2016
why Welcome back to Sunday reading. This week, let’s start with a look at one of nature’s hardest-working organisms: the urban tree. In the New Yorker, Alex Hutchinson asks: what is a tree worth? The emerald ash borer, which has killed a hundred million trees across North America in recent years, offers a grim natural experiment.…
Local governments’ democracy problem
Local governments have a responsibility to represent the interests and desires of their constituents. That idea is written into the oath that elected representatives swear when taking their seats: I, [full name of mayor, councillor or board member], declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [name of region, district, city, local or community board], the powers, authorities, and duties vested in or imposed upon me as a member of the [name of local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act.…
Register to vote for local body elections
This is a quick reminder: Today is the registration deadline for the 2016 local body elections. If you’re unsure if you’re registered to vote, please hop onto the Electoral Commission website and check your registration. Have you enrolled to vote for Local Elections yet?…
Repost: Why I’m optimistic New Zealand can solve its housing troubles
This is a repost of an article I wrote last December explaining why I’m optimistic about housing affordability in Auckland – and New Zealand’s ability to solve problems in general. I think my optimism has held up reasonably well. Since then, New Zealand’s conversation on housing affordability and urban planning has matured in some important ways – crystallising in the response to the Independent Hearings Panel’s recommendations on the Auckland Unitary Plan.…
What, specifically, do you want?
I think reasonable people could disagree about the Independent Hearings Panel’s recommendations on the Auckland Unitary Plan. In fact, a large number of generally reasonable people have spent a lot of the last two years disagreeing about the appropriate shape of the plan.…
Sunday reading 7 August 2016
Welcome back to Sunday reading. This week’s edition is a bit short, but it’s looking at a few important issues.
First, Tokyo. It’s surprisingly affordable – in spite of being a large city with not a lot of undeveloped land. The reason?…
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