I’ve always felt there’s something dubious about the “food deserts” hypothesis that’s so captured Michelle Obama’s imagination. Now a story in the New York Times suggests my instinct might be close to the mark. Food deserts are places that have good access to fast food outlets selling high-fat, high-sugar junk food, but poor access to [...]
According to La Trobe University economist, Professor Harry Clarke, there’s a “bone-headed argument making the rounds” that reducing the number of liquor stores in a neighbourhood will reduce domestic violence. The bone-headed argument comes from Michael Livingston, a research fellow at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Livingston studied [...]
Posted in Education, justice, health
|
Tagged Alcohol, alcopops, bottle shop, crime, domestic violence, Harry Clarke, liquor store, Michael Livingston, outlet, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre
|
More and more city-dwellers choose to live in apartments so they can live in more accessible locations. In the order of three and a half million Australians now live in multi unit housing. Living at density with shared ownership of common property provides many benefits, but it also presents big challenges. The strata title system [...]
More than half of cyclists ignore red lights according to British motorising organisation, The Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM). The Institute conducted a survey which found 57% of respondents answered yes to the question: “As a cyclist, do you ever jump red lights?” It’s a highly sensational number but it’s also highly dubious. There’s every [...]
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that private cars are massively subsidised. Indeed, cars are an object lesson in the consequences of under-pricing. Because we don’t take account of the social costs of driving when we get behind the wheel, we drive too often, too far and in vehicles that are too large. Our cities sprawl, [...]
The Washington Post and DC.Streetsblog both report on a new study which estimates the potential savings in carbon emissions from car-sharing are relatively modest (see exhibit). The study was prepared by Rand Corporation for the US Department of Energy. Car-sharing differs from car rental in a number of respects. With sharing, rentals are short term, fees [...]
Fremantle City Council is proposing cyclists over 18 years of age have the option of riding without a helmet within the municipality for a trial period of between two and five years. The proposed trial would apply to segregated cycle paths and streets with a speed limit of 50 km/h. (H/T Michael McPhail). The rationale for the [...]
Public transport travel in Australia’s capital cities gets a massive, growing financial subsidy (see exhibit). Passengers don’t pay for any of the capital costs and on average only pay for around a third of operating costs. Yet in spite of the subsidy, public transport only accounts for around 10% of all motorised trips. The single [...]
Every time Governments contemplate massive investments in urban road infrastructure, it’s instructive to bear in mind there’s a much better alternative. Instead of building something gargantuan like a road tunnel, they could instead elect to implement congestion charging across the metropolitan area. This involves charging motorists for the use of road space. Ideally, the charge [...]
I’ve pointed to the dangers of physical determinism many times. Space and geography are important variables explaining how cities work, but some disciplines have a marked tendency to over-state their importance and, more seriously, under-state the importance of more decisive economic and social variables. My interest has to date been at the level of cities. [...]
