Transferring the tax burden away from people’s earnings and back on to the value of any land that they own would reframe housing as a home, not an asset.
From lit-up orbs to bland office blocks, cities are full of buildings that people do or do not like. What really shapes how they live – for better or for worse – is urban planning.
Most e-scooter users don’t actually know what the law says about right-of-way, speed limits and proper parking– or that you are required to have at least a provisional driving license.
Of the first purpose-built skateparks, from the 1970s boom years of the sport’s second wave, very few remain. Preserving them is about more than sporting history.
Venturing out onto the city’s streets carries danger. But there is little reason to go out anyway. Few shops and still fewer places of entertainment are open.
New Zealand cities grow mostly through building houses on undeveloped land. But this removes fertile soil and undermines the food production and other ecological functions city dwellers depend on.
The supreme court’s ruling that the Tate’s viewing gallery intrudes on nearby luxury flats suggests that the law is once again aligning with the rich and powerful.
New photorealistic renderings of designs that are more than 60 years old raise important questions about the value of 3D imagery and the original designs themselves.
When a city scores badly on “liveability”, it can put serious pressure on city leaders – but do these rankings really help improve life for local people?