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Scott Beyer

Columnist

Scott Beyer is a journalist who focuses on American urban issues. He owns a media company called Market Urbanism Report, which advocates for free-market urban policy. In addition to his work for Governing, Beyer writes regular columns for Forbes, the Independent Institute and Tax Credit Advisor.


Beyer recently completed a three-year cross-country tour to study U.S. urban issues and is working on a book about his findings. He is based in New York City, and his work can be found collectively at MarketUrbanismReport.com.

He can be reached at scott@marketurbanismreport.com.

Retrofitting ordinary curb space from free parking into “complete streets” will be a good move financially and aesthetically for all sorts of stakeholders. Incremental, bottoms-up approaches work the best.
The pavement along the edge of the street is an asset with untapped value for better managing transportation needs. This prime urban land shouldn't just be for free car storage.
It can maintain distinctive urban character, but excessive mandates also can impede the dynamic evolution that cities need. There are market-driven policy reforms to reduce its negative impacts.
They can't completely replace in-person meetings, but conducting more public business online reduces costs, gives more people a voice and cuts down on disruption. It also can lead to better policy.
Private investors want to build bullet trains across America, but in too many cases they're having trouble finding right-of-way. There's a lot that state and local governments could do to help them along.
It's transforming the worlds of real estate and development. Cities and counties can experiment with it for themselves, but their most important role is in sharing the data that drives it.
Despite their very different attitudes toward the role of government, California and Texas have both found success. But the Lone Star State's small-government/low-tax model gives it an edge.
The coronavirus has shown that they can't count on their states or Washington for everything they need. But higher levels of government could provide funding for cities and counties to do the basics.
Transportation agencies know that policies prioritizing single-occupancy vehicles are bad for their cities. Yet in too many cases those agencies are the ones standing in the way of needed changes.
Coal isn’t going to bounce back in West Virginia. But tourism and recreation can replace it.