The hottest Urban Policy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

Cities of God

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic • 4 implied HN points • 14 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Policy Housing Crisis Social Issues Government Policy
  1. Many people live in 'slums' or informal settlements because of high housing costs and inadequate access to affordable housing. In Buenos Aires, these areas often lack basic services like sewage and water.
  2. The reasons for housing issues are complex. Economic instability and strict lending regulations make it hard for many to get mortgages, which limits their ability to buy homes.
  3. There are clear ways to improve the situation, like better city planning and cooperation between different levels of government. However, political will and the capacity to implement these changes are significant challenges.

Why American Cities (Actually) Suck

The Discourse Lounge • 1348 implied HN points • 31 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Policy Crime Rates Infrastructure Gun Control Social Issues
  1. Many American cities struggle because of poor political support and funding for urban infrastructure. Unlike some other countries, America often neglects its cities, leading to issues like poverty and crime.
  2. Increased policing alone won't solve the problems in American cities. Issues like gun violence and bad transportation systems need to be addressed holistically.
  3. To make cities better, America could learn from European and Asian approaches to urban planning and social welfare. Improving community support and organizing urban services better could lead to healthier, safer cities.

Expensive Cities Aren't Attractive Cities

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 337 implied HN points • 14 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Policy Housing Market Economic Trends Real Estate
  1. High housing prices in cities don't mean they're great places to live. Instead, these prices often come from not having enough houses.
  2. Cities like Los Angeles are expensive mainly due to people wanting to stay near their families and jobs, even when it gets hard to afford living there.
  3. If cities allowed more housing to be built, they could become more affordable, meaning people wouldn't have to feel forced to leave their homes.

Congestion Pricing: Because Nothing Says ‘New York’ Like Paying More to Get Less

Gad’s Newsletter • 23 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Policy Transportation Public Opinion Economic Impact Policy Analysis
  1. Congestion pricing in New York is aimed at reducing traffic in the city center, but it has also led to increased traffic in other areas. This means the problem of congestion might just be moving around rather than getting solved.
  2. Not all routes are affected the same way. While some key entry points into the city have traffic improvements, local streets used for everyday travel show little to no change, which raises questions about the overall effectiveness of the plan.
  3. Public support for congestion pricing varies greatly and people are concerned about fairness and how the revenue will be used. Making sure to communicate how the money is spent and improving transit options could help gain more acceptance from the public.

Wanting nice cities isn't Nazism

Indian Bronson • 8 implied HN points • 23 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Policy Public Safety Mental health City Planning
  1. Wanting nice cities doesn't mean you're a bad person. It's okay to want a clean and safe environment for everyone.
  2. Some people unfairly label those who care about law and order as extremists. We should challenge those views and believe that improvement is possible.
  3. If we want to make cities better, we need to address the real issues directly instead of ignoring them. This includes finding proper solutions for homelessness and crime.
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