Increasingly of the belief that a lot of bad housing policy is more or less informed by attempts to paper over bad transportation policy.
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So many public policy surveys show that people oppose development for traffic and parking reasons above all else. I think policymakers in turn have decided mode shift is too difficult so they might as well do all they can to stop their populations from growing to address traffic/ parking concerns.
aug 28, 2025, 8:18 pm • 21 0 • view
A theory but not universal as places like NYC or Paris have good transit setups and above average ridership but still find ways to implement terrible housing policies.
aug 28, 2025, 8:28 pm • 3 0 • view
I think it’s notable NYC still has parking minimums in many places. Goes to show that the upper 20% of income earners have significant agenda setting power.
aug 28, 2025, 8:30 pm • 6 0 • view
And in Europe it's the upper income earners mixed with historical preservation mindsets. It's still worth removing some reasons for doubt (and you'll get good transit policy out of it) but one must also expect goalposts to move immediately after.
aug 28, 2025, 8:35 pm • 0 0 • view
This isn’t quite it—as I understand, parking minimums are mainly an outer-boroughs thing, which is partially a response to the transit deserts/general MTA crumminess but moreover flatters class pretensions—a car being one of the few luxuries attainable by a middle-class person in NYC.
aug 28, 2025, 9:04 pm • 0 0 • view
I’m pretty sure the high end of the income distribution in NYC is less likely to own a car than the tranches just below them (if you’re that into driving and have the money you just move to Greenwich or whatever)
aug 28, 2025, 9:06 pm • 0 0 • view
It all makes sense once you understand CREAM Cars Rule Everything Around Me
aug 29, 2025, 6:25 pm • 1 0 • view
Definitely flows both ways here, a lot of bad transportation policy stems from bad housing policies, too
aug 28, 2025, 8:18 pm • 4 0 • view
White people didn’t want to live near black people > suburbanization and highway proliferation > suburbs and highways can’t handle growth so they further restrict development > which necessitates more highways and suburbs > which increases traffic so…
aug 28, 2025, 8:22 pm • 5 0 • view
I think this ties into how we got NIMBY environmentalists too. Back in like the 1970s car exhaust was so noxious that I can see a bit of rational basis for wanting to keep cars moving (so that they don't sit spewing exhaust too long in any one spot). Cities also had smog because of high car density.
aug 28, 2025, 8:22 pm • 1 0 • view
So I think what you're looking at is a lot of boomer environmentalists who drew logical conclusions about the situation in the 1970s and then have never once bothered to try to update their priors ever since.
aug 28, 2025, 8:22 pm • 3 0 • view
Also urban crime informed a lot of thinking. I binged a bunch of dystopian sci fi movies from the 70’s and there was SO much fearmongering about overpopulation which apparently many pinned the blame for crime on.
aug 28, 2025, 8:24 pm • 7 0 • view
robert-caro-laser-eyes.tiff
aug 29, 2025, 2:07 am • 0 0 • view
With the 🤡🚗 trump administration, all of the bad leaders with their terrible, self-serving policies reenforce each other, and naturally, the MAGA crowd and the spineless GOP Officials, just sit/kneel there and cheer it on!
aug 28, 2025, 9:34 pm • 0 0 • view
it’s all about street parking
aug 28, 2025, 8:18 pm • 3 0 • view