Urban Designer Answers City Planning Questions From Twitter - Tech Support - WIRED
video description
Date: 2024-08-28
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 20
det_tf2
2: 05 This is a very weird answer. Housing prices, by all measures, follow the laws of supply and demand. Sociodemographic variables might correlate at best, but I haven't seen evidence to suggest they cause changes in rent control's effectiveness (or really anything most people try to explain with homogeneity. I've also read quite a few papers suggesting they're the least effective of housing policy tools - they cause the most distortion in markets with the least benefit. Rent controlled apartments are shown in study after study to incentivize poor maintenance practices, and one of the other tools (supplemental housing income) does essentially the same thing for low income families without incentivizing landlords to ignore maintenance and basic renovation activities.
The unequivocally best answer is to build more housing in areas where markets are tightest. Time and time again, cities that loosen arbitrary construction regulations and zoning requirements see, if not falls, at least a stabilization in housing prices. This area is incredibly well-researched, and based on a lot of Alexandros's other answers (especially on topics like congestion pricing) he is very up-to-date on research in this area. I hope he'd be willing to provide clarification if possible - perhaps the short time frame for each question leads to a lot of vagueness or the editors emphasized the wrong thing, etc. I loved the rest of the video, but that kinda emphasized the weirdness of this specific answer to me.
reply
2: 05 This is a very weird answer. Housing prices, by all measures, follow the laws of supply and demand. Sociodemographic variables might correlate at best, but I haven't seen evidence to suggest they cause changes in rent control's effectiveness (or really anything most people try to explain with homogeneity. I've also read quite a few papers suggesting they're the least effective of housing policy tools - they cause the most distortion in markets with the least benefit. Rent controlled apartments are shown in study after study to incentivize poor maintenance practices, and one of the other tools (supplemental housing income) does essentially the same thing for low income families without incentivizing landlords to ignore maintenance and basic renovation activities.
The unequivocally best answer is to build more housing in areas where markets are tightest. Time and time again, cities that loosen arbitrary construction regulations and zoning requirements see, if not falls, at least a stabilization in housing prices. This area is incredibly well-researched, and based on a lot of Alexandros's other answers (especially on topics like congestion pricing) he is very up-to-date on research in this area. I hope he'd be willing to provide clarification if possible - perhaps the short time frame for each question leads to a lot of vagueness or the editors emphasized the wrong thing, etc. I loved the rest of the video, but that kinda emphasized the weirdness of this specific answer to me.
reply
gcvrsa
The reason why we aren't turning office towers into apartment buildings is because office towers are not designed with the level of plumbing, ingress/egress, electrical, and hvac support that would be required to divide these buildings into separate residences. This should be obvious to anyone who stops for a moment and thinks about how many kitchens and bathrooms are required for an apartment building as compared to an office tower. Office towers might have one block of communal bathrooms per floor, and no real kitchens, at all. Their electrical systems are designed to support large scales, entire departments or entire companies, not individual families. Retrofitting most office buildings simply isn't economically feasible. It makes more sense to demolish them and rebuild, but because we weight the value of properties so heavily toward capital improvements (ie, buildings) rather than land values, it becomes to expensive to repurpose land when large changes in usage patterns occur.
reply
The reason why we aren't turning office towers into apartment buildings is because office towers are not designed with the level of plumbing, ingress/egress, electrical, and hvac support that would be required to divide these buildings into separate residences. This should be obvious to anyone who stops for a moment and thinks about how many kitchens and bathrooms are required for an apartment building as compared to an office tower. Office towers might have one block of communal bathrooms per floor, and no real kitchens, at all. Their electrical systems are designed to support large scales, entire departments or entire companies, not individual families. Retrofitting most office buildings simply isn't economically feasible. It makes more sense to demolish them and rebuild, but because we weight the value of properties so heavily toward capital improvements (ie, buildings) rather than land values, it becomes to expensive to repurpose land when large changes in usage patterns occur.
reply
FGH9G
I think Tokyo should also get a shoutout for being in general just a perfect city in terms of streetscape, nightlife, pedestrian and cycling friendliness, as well as of course, its world class public transit and metro systems.
And also, adding on to the point about America's obsession with the automobile: America was not built for the car, it was bulldozed for it. The amount of cities that have been gutted and entire districts and neighborhoods completely wiped off the map to make room for highways and other auto-oriented infrastructure is obscene. Post-WWII, mid-20th century urban renewal was absolutely devastating for American cities and urban fabrics. Not to mention the untold damage it did to not only US cities and their public transit systems, but also America's world class intercity passenger railway system.
reply
I think Tokyo should also get a shoutout for being in general just a perfect city in terms of streetscape, nightlife, pedestrian and cycling friendliness, as well as of course, its world class public transit and metro systems.
And also, adding on to the point about America's obsession with the automobile: America was not built for the car, it was bulldozed for it. The amount of cities that have been gutted and entire districts and neighborhoods completely wiped off the map to make room for highways and other auto-oriented infrastructure is obscene. Post-WWII, mid-20th century urban renewal was absolutely devastating for American cities and urban fabrics. Not to mention the untold damage it did to not only US cities and their public transit systems, but also America's world class intercity passenger railway system.
reply
marigeobrien
I believe that, related to 5: 39, the explanation for America's 'love' of automobiles is even simpler than that. Except for the oldest cities in the east (NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, America was mostly undeveloped when cars first came out. Even just outside those cities, there was mostly open land. Thus, it was easier for us to include cars in our planning. That is, easier than most of the European cities, which were already well established by the early 20th century. Plus, after WWII, the government decided it was vital to the defense of our nation to have a good infrastructure of highways that spanned the country and could be utilized in times of war. Yes, the interstates were put in as a defense mechanism so troops could be moved quickly to any location.
reply
I believe that, related to 5: 39, the explanation for America's 'love' of automobiles is even simpler than that. Except for the oldest cities in the east (NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, America was mostly undeveloped when cars first came out. Even just outside those cities, there was mostly open land. Thus, it was easier for us to include cars in our planning. That is, easier than most of the European cities, which were already well established by the early 20th century. Plus, after WWII, the government decided it was vital to the defense of our nation to have a good infrastructure of highways that spanned the country and could be utilized in times of war. Yes, the interstates were put in as a defense mechanism so troops could be moved quickly to any location.
reply
scofield1154
Rent control is band-aid for a cannonball wound. You solve the housing crisis by building more apartments, its simple as that. Incredibly simple, but the laws in certain countries prevent this from happening (on a large scale) and most developers don't want to build more as they want to artificially restrict the housing supply. So the solution is for the government to build housing and sell it into the market, and they DON'T have to make a profit. Government sees profit through the mental and physical well-being of its citizens not stressing about housing.
reply
Rent control is band-aid for a cannonball wound. You solve the housing crisis by building more apartments, its simple as that. Incredibly simple, but the laws in certain countries prevent this from happening (on a large scale) and most developers don't want to build more as they want to artificially restrict the housing supply. So the solution is for the government to build housing and sell it into the market, and they DON'T have to make a profit. Government sees profit through the mental and physical well-being of its citizens not stressing about housing.
reply
LisaBarlow-h2u
I almost never comment on videos but it feels egregious as a disabled person to hear you say that Paris is getting everything right. It is well known in the wheelchair using community that Paris is an incredibly difficult place to visit. There are many articles about how Paralympians struggled during the most recent Olympics there as well. I was really interested in what this person had to say but that comment undermined their credibility. Who are planning cities for It seems, according to this, not me or the many other disabled people in our world.
reply
I almost never comment on videos but it feels egregious as a disabled person to hear you say that Paris is getting everything right. It is well known in the wheelchair using community that Paris is an incredibly difficult place to visit. There are many articles about how Paralympians struggled during the most recent Olympics there as well. I was really interested in what this person had to say but that comment undermined their credibility. Who are planning cities for It seems, according to this, not me or the many other disabled people in our world.
reply
sokrplayr123
Boston roads are not because of cow paths. It is a rumor that goes back at least to 19th century. Boston has been getting bigger, expanding out into the sea through The Big Dig and other similar projects.
Per local cartographers Andrew Woodruff and Tim Wallace, who together produce the excellent Bostonography website. Wallace observed, When you have a city like Boston that experienced steady land-building for decades, you’re bound to end up with a somewhat wonky street grid.
reply
Boston roads are not because of cow paths. It is a rumor that goes back at least to 19th century. Boston has been getting bigger, expanding out into the sea through The Big Dig and other similar projects.
Per local cartographers Andrew Woodruff and Tim Wallace, who together produce the excellent Bostonography website. Wallace observed, When you have a city like Boston that experienced steady land-building for decades, you’re bound to end up with a somewhat wonky street grid.
reply
wired
I would love to know his opinion of Santa Fe. the second oldest city (not counting the Pueblos. I don't have a car so I can't comment on traffic but this town is the Best. I can go anywhere and get anything I need within a 15 min walk. Or bus, or my bike, or rent a car. There is always something going on. Festivals, free music, summer movies in the parks. The Plaza is the Heart of the city. The art and the landscaping raise the vibe of the communities.
reply
I would love to know his opinion of Santa Fe. the second oldest city (not counting the Pueblos. I don't have a car so I can't comment on traffic but this town is the Best. I can go anywhere and get anything I need within a 15 min walk. Or bus, or my bike, or rent a car. There is always something going on. Festivals, free music, summer movies in the parks. The Plaza is the Heart of the city. The art and the landscaping raise the vibe of the communities.
reply
tjt5055
One item not mentioned in his answer regarding rent control is that in many places that have it, most notably Stockholm, Sweden, most rent control apartment never leave the hands of the family that lives in them, and usually the people who have them are smart, opportunistic people, and higher earners.
So you end up mostly subsidizing housing for the well off, while constricting supply elsewhere and driving prices up for everyone else.
reply
One item not mentioned in his answer regarding rent control is that in many places that have it, most notably Stockholm, Sweden, most rent control apartment never leave the hands of the family that lives in them, and usually the people who have them are smart, opportunistic people, and higher earners.
So you end up mostly subsidizing housing for the well off, while constricting supply elsewhere and driving prices up for everyone else.
reply
thewalkingcrow8946
As a guy who worked for a survey company researching and drawing plats, I am amazed at how many large cities do not have their deeds online available for relatively easy look up. I would think a smart city would be one that has an online database of legal property deeds openly available for all to see. It makes it SOOOO much easier to do surveys which is critical for infrastructure construction and property development.
reply
As a guy who worked for a survey company researching and drawing plats, I am amazed at how many large cities do not have their deeds online available for relatively easy look up. I would think a smart city would be one that has an online database of legal property deeds openly available for all to see. It makes it SOOOO much easier to do surveys which is critical for infrastructure construction and property development.
reply
jackhandy4406
Honestly, Singapore airport is ridiculous but not necessarily in a bad way. Definitely the nicest airport in the world. You don’t have to leave the airport at all. There is places for you to sleep, rest nap, shower, spa, watch, movies, fine dining, an addition to the park and waterfalls. I know I’m missing a ton of things there. We wanted to see the city of the Singapore, not the worlds nicest airport airport.
reply
Honestly, Singapore airport is ridiculous but not necessarily in a bad way. Definitely the nicest airport in the world. You don’t have to leave the airport at all. There is places for you to sleep, rest nap, shower, spa, watch, movies, fine dining, an addition to the park and waterfalls. I know I’m missing a ton of things there. We wanted to see the city of the Singapore, not the worlds nicest airport airport.
reply
slice0fpi934
8: 50 Another interesting, direct reason for some tolls that was kind of touched on - in certain states (like MN with their MnPass system, those lanes were able to be funded by adding the congestion-linked tolls to them, all to have the lane last as long as possible by either disincentivizing its use or collecting a higher toll, the longer you drive along it and the busier traffic is.
reply
8: 50 Another interesting, direct reason for some tolls that was kind of touched on - in certain states (like MN with their MnPass system, those lanes were able to be funded by adding the congestion-linked tolls to them, all to have the lane last as long as possible by either disincentivizing its use or collecting a higher toll, the longer you drive along it and the busier traffic is.
reply
wired
I like the LA comment a lot. The traffic is a punchline & fails to highlight current efforts. Many cities in LA, outside of what tourists see, decrease car usage. It's a double edge sword of attracting homeless communities as well as supporting its working class ones, complicating adoption. It's a very modern problem for urban planners & I like his ending optimism for how we'll succeed.
reply
I like the LA comment a lot. The traffic is a punchline & fails to highlight current efforts. Many cities in LA, outside of what tourists see, decrease car usage. It's a double edge sword of attracting homeless communities as well as supporting its working class ones, complicating adoption. It's a very modern problem for urban planners & I like his ending optimism for how we'll succeed.
reply
FriedConsole
This guys is BS on three things.
1. German rent control is a joke and isn't enforced as there are too many ways around it.
2. Toll roads are boondoggles that just grift way after the road is paid for and is often sold to a private company. Now that they don't have to pay for operators they are expanding.
3. LA traffic will fix itself. Sorry. Hahahahah.
reply
This guys is BS on three things.
1. German rent control is a joke and isn't enforced as there are too many ways around it.
2. Toll roads are boondoggles that just grift way after the road is paid for and is often sold to a private company. Now that they don't have to pay for operators they are expanding.
3. LA traffic will fix itself. Sorry. Hahahahah.
reply
629990
Re tolls, everyone benefits from the roads not just drivers. The pedestrians cyclists everyone benefits from goods and services delivered by vehicals. As a shared resource we need to spread the cost evenly to keep it affordable. Despite all the anti car groups I've never seen one try to build a city with no roads. I challenge them to try it and see how it works.
reply
Re tolls, everyone benefits from the roads not just drivers. The pedestrians cyclists everyone benefits from goods and services delivered by vehicals. As a shared resource we need to spread the cost evenly to keep it affordable. Despite all the anti car groups I've never seen one try to build a city with no roads. I challenge them to try it and see how it works.
reply
kittenmasaki
I live in NYC and its definitely a great city, but when I worked in Singapore for 6 months. it ruined the world at large for me. It is absolutely the best city that humanity has ever created. Politics/laws/etc aside. the city is planned to stay ahead of everything. If it wasnt for the humidity, I would do everything I could to live there forever.
reply
I live in NYC and its definitely a great city, but when I worked in Singapore for 6 months. it ruined the world at large for me. It is absolutely the best city that humanity has ever created. Politics/laws/etc aside. the city is planned to stay ahead of everything. If it wasnt for the humidity, I would do everything I could to live there forever.
reply
_oaktree_
Former librarian here - couldn't agree more about libraries! Did everyone forget about community centres We need to stop forcing libraries to be combination libraries, community centres, social services centres, day shelters, and on and on and on, and let them be libraries. And give all these spaces the public funding they need to function!
reply
Former librarian here - couldn't agree more about libraries! Did everyone forget about community centres We need to stop forcing libraries to be combination libraries, community centres, social services centres, day shelters, and on and on and on, and let them be libraries. And give all these spaces the public funding they need to function!
reply
gr8bkset-524
America's car dependency results in sprawl and housing prices skyrocket when not enough gets built to meet demand. To reverse this, local governments should encourage conversion of 20-50% of parking lots of workplaces with 200 to dense affordable employee rentals. Affordable housing, no car, no commutes for those that live there.
reply
America's car dependency results in sprawl and housing prices skyrocket when not enough gets built to meet demand. To reverse this, local governments should encourage conversion of 20-50% of parking lots of workplaces with 200 to dense affordable employee rentals. Affordable housing, no car, no commutes for those that live there.
reply
BlamBird
For any college students looking for a USEFUL major or parents helping their kids deciding, for heaven's sake please consider urban/city planning. We are all in clear agreement that we need them, and their salaries are actually pretty solid right out of school. Sincerely, all of the United States of America lol
reply
For any college students looking for a USEFUL major or parents helping their kids deciding, for heaven's sake please consider urban/city planning. We are all in clear agreement that we need them, and their salaries are actually pretty solid right out of school. Sincerely, all of the United States of America lol
reply
interloc1290
On Rent control.
I can appreciate a nuanced take as much as anyone take but it seems to me that a more accurate way to describe it is that a certain class of people want INFINITE financial gains for LIMITED financial investment and almost NO risk at the expense of everyone else and society at large.
reply
On Rent control.
I can appreciate a nuanced take as much as anyone take but it seems to me that a more accurate way to describe it is that a certain class of people want INFINITE financial gains for LIMITED financial investment and almost NO risk at the expense of everyone else and society at large.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
4:26
6:19
