Publications
Keeping Revitalized Neighborhoods Affordable (as published in March 2014 edition of Planning and Environmental Law Journal.
This commentary offers a critical review of the legal and financial strategies currently available to policy makers and urban planners trying to keep revitalized neighborhoods affordable.
The Political Economy of Urban Infrastructure (as published in November 2013 in the International Handbook on Mega-Projects).
Kevin’s doctoral dissertation at Hebrew University analyzed the use of public private partnerships and global capital for light rail projects. This book chapter summarizes the findings about the decision-making process.
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE BOOK CHAPTER
Financing Transit-Oriented Development through Value Capture (as published in the September 2013 edition of the TOD Line)
In the early 1900s, William Wilgus, the Chief Engineer of New York Central Railroad imagined a new Grand Central Terminal on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. The proposed terminal and its sunken bi-level rail yards promised the city a grand architectural statement, greater terminal capacity, and electrification of the system. No public financing was required under the engineer’s ambitious plan. North of the existing terminal were open air rail yards also owned by New York Central Railroad. Wilgus surmised that decking over the yards and selling the air rights above them could be used to repay the debts for the new terminal….
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE
Transit-Oriented Development in New York City (as published in the October 2012 edition of the TOD Line).
Describing New York City as a “transit- oriented development” may sound a bit understated or even redundant to urban planners accustomed to implementing TOD concepts in less urban environments. With its high population densities, walkable neighborhoods, mixed land uses, and a vast transit network, NYC is the most transit oriented city in America. According to 2010 American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 56 percent of New York City workers take transit to work and 56 percent of New York City households do not own an automobile. Few other cities in the United States come even close to approximating this level of freedom from automobile dependency…
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE
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Israel Smart Growth Policy Project (a set of working papers prepared for the Israel Union for Environmental Defense). This report examines the potential for land use regulations to reduce auto-dependency and promote sustainable growth patterns in Israel.
Beginning in the 1970s, Israelis increasingly began to rely upon the automobile as their primary form of transportation. Over the course of three decades, the percentage of people using mass transit for work trips plummeted from 60% to 30% of the population. Car-ownership rates steadily climbed while automobile trips grew longer in time and distance. Today, Israel has one of the highest levels of vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT) in the western world. The triumph of the private car over mass transit is often explained as the inevitable product of market forces, global trends and consumer preference for independent travel. Less explainable, however, is the continuing popularity of the automobile in spite of its well-known social and environmental impacts. Without doubt, Israel’s auto-dependency has resulted in polluted cities, worsening congestion, escalating infrastructure costs, vanishing open spaces, and horrific road accidents. In spite of all these externalities, and in spite of astounding investments in mass transit infrastructure, Israel is still becoming an even more car-centric society. This report examines the potential for land use regulations to reduce auto-dependency and promote sustainable regional growth patterns in Israel….
CLICK HERE FOR THE ISGPP – Executive Summary / Please contact us directly for the full report.