Archive: Columns

How Tesla Could Disrupt Ridesharing
With or without AVs, tech investors believe the premier EV manufacturer could topple Uber and Lyft
Scott Beyer | April 29, 2021
Could Skyscrapers Made of Wood Rise in U.S. Cities?
Innovations in timber-frame construction could make high rises more environmentally-friendly and faster to build
Scott Beyer | April 22, 2021
Flying Taxis May Soon Come to America
The private market is already itching to test this technology in cities
Scott Beyer | April 15, 2021
Introducing the Market Urbanism Model Zoning Code
A market-based approach to land law would be more permissive, context-sensitive, and able to pass the cost-benefit smell test. 
Scott Beyer | April 7, 2021
What Is the Future of High-Speed Freight Rail?
Chinese and Italian companies are experimenting with high-speed freight rail. How likely is this technology to arrive in the U.S.?
Scott Beyer | March 26, 2021
Monterrey: De Facto NAFTA Capital
I recently visited Mexico’s leading industrial city to see the benefits brought by nearly 2 decades of free trade with the U.S.  
Scott Beyer | March 19, 2021
‘Elasticity’ Key to Solving U.S. Urban Housing Crisis
Some U.S. metros have stayed affordable by building lots of housing. They provide a lesson for California—and for states receiving its expats
Scott Beyer | March 2, 2021
Should Government Build and Finance Affordable Housing?
“Supply-side” solutions like public housing and LIHTC may seem good on paper, but are flawed in practice
Scott Beyer | October 31, 2020
Is Sprawl a Consumer Choice or a Government Mandate?
A market-based look at one of the side effects of urbanization and its tangled roots
Scott Beyer | October 20, 2020
How To Reduce Urban Overcrowding
How sprawling cities manage to be more overcrowded than the densest urban jungles
Scott Beyer | October 1, 2020
The USPS Needs to Stop Acting Like the CIA
Transparency would save the post office from being aligned with murkier government agencies
Ross Marchand | September 22, 2020
The Folly of ‘Growth Management’ Policies
The policies raise home prices, hinder urbanization, and may even worsen the “sprawl” they aim to prevent
Scott Beyer | September 10, 2020