Sal Rodriguez
Blog
Read latest from Free Cities Center
Privatized parks revitalize public spaces and neighborhoods
Recently, Zócalo Public Square, a media enterprise affiliated with Arizona State University, published an essay asking the question, “How public is your favorite public park?” The essay, written by Kevin Loughran, an assistant professor of sociology at Temple University, walks through the rise of private ownership or management of public ...
Blog
Free Market Reforms Can Alleviate the Housing Crisis
Cities: Let developers turn zombie malls into bustling housing
For commercial property owners and businesses, it can be a smart way to make better and more optimal use of antiquated properties. And for city leaders, it can be a way of revitalizing neighborhoods while bringing much needed housing online with less NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) backlash than normal. ...
Blog
Read about latest push for rent control
Seattle rejects rent control in win for sound economics
It’s always a breath of fresh air when elected officials have a grasp on basic economics. On August 1, the Seattle City Council voted 6-to-2 to reject a rent control proposal from termed-out Socialist Alternative Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Sawant proposed a rent control trigger law that would impose a strict, ...
Banking
Don’t bank on this financially illiterate idea going away
Don’t bank on this financially illiterate idea going away By Sal Rodriguez | August 3, 2023 Over the last few years, city officials in Los Angeles and San Francisco have flirted with the idea of establishing public banks to ostensibly support or facilitate the cause of the day. San Francisco ...
Blog
Southwest cities can continue freeing their housing markets through deregulation
This piece continues a two-part series review of the housing landscape in southwest cities. Part one linked here takes a look at the housing landscape in the states of Arizona and Colorado. Part two below looks to New Mexico and Utah, followed by the review’s conclusion. New Mexico In New ...
Blog
Southwest cities slowly freeing their housing markets
The southwest has not been immune to the “housing crisis” frequently talked about in more densely populated coastal states like California. Rising housing costs, which can put considerable strain on middle-class and lower-income individuals and families, have been aggravated and amplified by government policies constraining the ability of homebuilders to ...
Blog
Arizona and Colorado Report: Power-hungry cities kill pro-housing zoning-reform bills
Arizona and Colorado Report: Power-hungry cities kill pro-housing zoning-reform bills by Sal Rodriguez Colorado and Arizona had a shot at passing substantive reform of development-stifling land-use regulations this year. But both efforts went down in the last few months thanks in large part to fierce opposition from city governments, which ...
Blog
City Hall should stay out of the way of home-based businesses
City Hall should stay out of the way of home-based businesses Home-based businesses have long been a viable means by which people support themselves. It’s essential that governments make it easier, not harder, for cottage industries to thrive. The importance and prevalence of home-based businesses “For most of human history, ...
Blog
Free Markets Fuel Outdoor Dining
Cities should maintain flexible outdoor dining programs
One of the few silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic was that governments were forced to think outside-of-the-box in order to make things happen. In the early months of the pandemic, local governments across the country loosened regulations to allow restaurants and bars to serve customers outdoors. They made it ...
Blog
Costly union-only agreements result in fewer city projects
From street repairs to building construction, municipal infrastructure projects are costly, but often necessary, endeavors. To get them done in the most cost-effective manner possible, city taxpayers are best served by having open, competitive markets for contracts to complete such projects efficiently and at the best price. This might sound like ...
Read latest from Free Cities Center
Privatized parks revitalize public spaces and neighborhoods
Recently, Zócalo Public Square, a media enterprise affiliated with Arizona State University, published an essay asking the question, “How public is your favorite public park?” The essay, written by Kevin Loughran, an assistant professor of sociology at Temple University, walks through the rise of private ownership or management of public ...
Free Market Reforms Can Alleviate the Housing Crisis
Cities: Let developers turn zombie malls into bustling housing
For commercial property owners and businesses, it can be a smart way to make better and more optimal use of antiquated properties. And for city leaders, it can be a way of revitalizing neighborhoods while bringing much needed housing online with less NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) backlash than normal. ...
Read about latest push for rent control
Seattle rejects rent control in win for sound economics
It’s always a breath of fresh air when elected officials have a grasp on basic economics. On August 1, the Seattle City Council voted 6-to-2 to reject a rent control proposal from termed-out Socialist Alternative Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Sawant proposed a rent control trigger law that would impose a strict, ...
Don’t bank on this financially illiterate idea going away
Don’t bank on this financially illiterate idea going away By Sal Rodriguez | August 3, 2023 Over the last few years, city officials in Los Angeles and San Francisco have flirted with the idea of establishing public banks to ostensibly support or facilitate the cause of the day. San Francisco ...
Southwest cities can continue freeing their housing markets through deregulation
This piece continues a two-part series review of the housing landscape in southwest cities. Part one linked here takes a look at the housing landscape in the states of Arizona and Colorado. Part two below looks to New Mexico and Utah, followed by the review’s conclusion. New Mexico In New ...
Southwest cities slowly freeing their housing markets
The southwest has not been immune to the “housing crisis” frequently talked about in more densely populated coastal states like California. Rising housing costs, which can put considerable strain on middle-class and lower-income individuals and families, have been aggravated and amplified by government policies constraining the ability of homebuilders to ...
Arizona and Colorado Report: Power-hungry cities kill pro-housing zoning-reform bills
Arizona and Colorado Report: Power-hungry cities kill pro-housing zoning-reform bills by Sal Rodriguez Colorado and Arizona had a shot at passing substantive reform of development-stifling land-use regulations this year. But both efforts went down in the last few months thanks in large part to fierce opposition from city governments, which ...
City Hall should stay out of the way of home-based businesses
City Hall should stay out of the way of home-based businesses Home-based businesses have long been a viable means by which people support themselves. It’s essential that governments make it easier, not harder, for cottage industries to thrive. The importance and prevalence of home-based businesses “For most of human history, ...
Free Markets Fuel Outdoor Dining
Cities should maintain flexible outdoor dining programs
One of the few silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic was that governments were forced to think outside-of-the-box in order to make things happen. In the early months of the pandemic, local governments across the country loosened regulations to allow restaurants and bars to serve customers outdoors. They made it ...
Costly union-only agreements result in fewer city projects
From street repairs to building construction, municipal infrastructure projects are costly, but often necessary, endeavors. To get them done in the most cost-effective manner possible, city taxpayers are best served by having open, competitive markets for contracts to complete such projects efficiently and at the best price. This might sound like ...
