The Joel Rogers and Dave Cieslewicz New Urbanist Plan for Madison is based on the false premise that free people want to live in crowded conditions devoid of wildlife. Alain Bertaud shows this with perfect clarity on the graph of Population Densities of World Cities (PDF). Free people tend to desire homes with yards. Central Planning is a defining attribute of socialist philosophy which may be why the density map of Moscow doesn’t look like any other city.
Mayor Dave could use a realty check on the academic theories that have captured his rational brain. Mayor Dave should take time and watch some of The Greatest Real Estate Movies of All Time (PDF). I recommend the following ten selections.
10. Shane:
“To begin with, virtually every Western ever made is about property rights”
9. Field of Dreams:
9. Field of Dreams:
“If you build it, they will come.”
8. The Blues Brothers:
8. The Blues Brothers:
A city will tax an orphanage out of business if they need the land.
7. The Money Pit:
7. The Money Pit:
All projects begin on budget.
6. Joe’s Apartment:
6. Joe’s Apartment:
Roaches love big buildings with lots of food, water and dark hiding places.
5. It’s a Wonderful Life:
5. It’s a Wonderful Life:
Financing the real American Dream of home ownership.
4. Psycho:
4. Psycho:
When business disappears from a Mom & Pop shop, the kids get stressed.
3. Beetlejuice:
3. Beetlejuice:
A little fear of the dead should accompany all remodeling projects.
2. Escape From New York:
2. Escape From New York:
When everyone is inside the cage the door can be locked.
1. Gone with The Wind:
1. Gone with The Wind:
Number one all time because it “shows the effect of government intervention – here, Sherman’s march to the sea – on Atlanta’s property market.”
