Friday, October 31, 2008

Libertarian Backlash

Like Adron and others, I sometimes wonder what it would be like if we operated in a true libertarian based market in terms of land use and transportation. Apparently, so do other libertarian commenters who in a recent blog post on the reason foundation blog take Wendell Cox to town. We all know that he and Randal and other sprawl apologists are just vulgar libertarians, using the ideology as a corporate protection racket. In thier case it's the highway and auto industry. Here's a comment that hits the mark for me:
I fully understand the idea that excessive land use regulation can raise the costs of home ownership. Smart Growth or anti-sprawl regulations, however, are just as much an implementation of greater flexibility in urban development, by allowing greater densities of housing, tenure and use, than it is a restriction on building. It is pretty well established that sprawl producing land use regulation is that which creates an artificial scarcity by requiring large lots, minimum square footage, and lower densities - driving up prices.
HT PublicTransit.US

2 comments:

Chris Bradford said...

Yes, it's the latter that is the true free-market position.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the positive inclusion! I spend so much time trying to explain a true free market or Libertarian ideal and those people you mention spend far more time wrecking the ideals.

It's nice that some people at least read and think form the perspective. I mean, in the end, we're all just trying to get to a more manageable, livable, enjoyable lifestyle. :)