How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Sep 11, 2023
acx

Highlights From The Comments On Last Week's Model Cities Post

35 min • 5,279 words • 87 comments • 48 likes • podcast (28 min)
The post discusses reader comments on various model city projects, focusing on the Solano County proposal and Prospera, while also addressing other related topics. Longer summary
This post highlights comments on recent Model City Monday topics, focusing on the proposed Solano County city in California and Prospera in Honduras. It covers various aspects such as location challenges, air noise concerns, legal issues, and political context. The post also touches on other model city projects like Neom and Praxis, and debunks a false claim about France selling Kerguelen Island. Shorter summary
Sep 04, 2023
acx

Model City Monday 9/4/23: California Dreamin'

24 min • 3,678 words • 330 comments • 120 likes • podcast (22 min)
The post examines recent developments in model city projects, including California Forever's plan in Solano County, updates on Praxis and Prospera, and brief mentions of other global initiatives. Longer summary
This post discusses several model city projects, focusing on California Forever's plan to build a new city in Solano County, California. It details the project's ambitious goals, potential challenges, and the mixed reactions it has received. The post also covers updates on Praxis, a highly visionary city-building project, and Prospera, a special economic zone in Honduras facing legal battles. Finally, it briefly mentions other model city developments worldwide. Shorter summary
May 10, 2023
acx

Highlights From The Comments On Housing Density And Prices

51 min • 7,836 words • 468 comments • 73 likes • podcast (45 min)
Scott Alexander responds to criticism of his post on housing density and prices, refining but largely maintaining his argument that increased density can raise local prices. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his previous post about housing density and prices. He addresses several key points, including whether density causes desirability, the role of jobs and amenities in city desirability, Chinese ghost cities, comparisons to Tokyo, accusations of misunderstanding economics, and opinions from notable experts. Scott refines some of his views but maintains his core argument that increasing density within a city can increase housing prices by making the city more desirable, while acknowledging this effect may be limited or outweighed by other factors in many cases. Shorter summary
Jun 28, 2022
acx

Model City Monday 6/27/22

22 min • 3,349 words • 175 comments • 62 likes • podcast (26 min)
The post updates on charter cities, covering the repeal of Honduras' ZEDE law, Disney's Reedy Creek dissolution, and new projects like Afropolitan, while discussing ongoing developments and challenges. Longer summary
This post provides updates on several charter city and model city projects. It discusses the repeal of the ZEDE law in Honduras and its impact on existing projects like Prospera, the dissolution of Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District in Florida, and the launch of Afropolitan, a new digital nation concept. The post also covers Prospera's ongoing development despite legal challenges, including new resorts, construction projects, and a gene therapy company. Finally, it touches on other model city developments and provides predictions for the future of these projects. Shorter summary
Dec 06, 2021
acx

Model City Monday 12/6/21

21 min • 3,130 words • 119 comments • 38 likes • podcast (26 min)
Scott Alexander examines recent developments in model cities, including political threats to ZEDEs in Honduras, El Salvador's Bitcoin city plan, and the mysterious Praxis project. Longer summary
This blog post discusses recent developments in model cities and charter cities. It covers the political situation in Honduras affecting ZEDEs, El Salvador's plan for a Bitcoin-themed city, the mysterious Praxis project, and other model city news. The post critically examines each project, analyzing their feasibility, potential impact, and the motivations behind them. Scott Alexander provides context, expresses skepticism where appropriate, and offers insights into the challenges and opportunities these projects face. Shorter summary
Aug 02, 2021
acx

Model City Monday 8/2/21

20 min • 3,066 words • 96 comments • 50 likes • podcast (21 min)
Scott discusses recent developments in charter cities, including new projects in Honduras, a hypothetical project called Mariposa, and the growth of megachurches in Nigeria into city-like entities. Longer summary
This post covers several developments in the charter city space. Scott first discusses two new ZEDE projects in Honduras - Orquidea, an agricultural project, and Mariposa, a hypothetical city proposed by a husband-wife team. He notes the contrast between Orquidea's secrecy and Mariposa's public presence, reflecting on how serious projects often stay quiet to avoid opposition. The post then explores how religious communities can form the nucleus of new cities, using the example of Nigerian megachurches that have grown into city-like entities. Finally, Scott provides brief updates on other charter city efforts, including the failure of the 'Hammer City' project and potential new legislation in other countries. Shorter summary
Jul 05, 2021
acx

Model City Monday

22 min • 3,271 words • 208 comments • 76 likes • podcast (24 min)
Scott Alexander explores various modern independence-seeking projects, including charter cities and secessionist movements, discussing their potential and challenges. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses various modern-day independence-seeking projects like charter cities, utopian communes, and secessionist movements. He covers the Free State Project in New Hampshire and a similar proposal for Montenegro in Europe. The post then examines the Charter Cities Institute's claims about the effectiveness of charter cities, including a critical analysis by Rethink Priorities. Scott also describes the Black Hammer organization's plan for Hammer City, a proposed city for people of color. Finally, he discusses the current state of charter cities, including concerns about their size and governance models, and considers whether charter cities can truly drive large-scale economic development. Shorter summary
Apr 16, 2021
acx

Your Book Review: Progress And Poverty

136 min • 20,939 words • 525 comments • 158 likes • podcast (133 min)
Henry George's 'Progress and Poverty' argues that private land ownership and rent cause persistent poverty, and proposes a land value tax as a solution. Longer summary
This review examines Henry George's book 'Progress and Poverty', which argues that poverty persists alongside economic progress due to private land ownership and rent-seeking. George proposes a land value tax as a solution to eliminate speculation, encourage efficient land use, and fund public goods. The review covers George's theories on wages, capital, rent, and criticisms of prevailing economic ideas like Malthusianism. Shorter summary
Oct 01, 2018
ssc

Steelmanning The NIMBYs

34 min • 5,261 words • 568 comments • podcast (35 min)
Scott Alexander presents counterarguments to YIMBY housing policies, questioning their effectiveness and considering NIMBY perspectives. Longer summary
Scott Alexander steelmans the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) position against YIMBYism (Yes In My Back Yard) in housing policy debates, particularly focused on San Francisco. He argues that: 1) San Francisco's housing growth rate is not uniquely low, 2) Building more housing may not significantly lower rents, 3) Increased housing supply could potentially increase rents due to agglomeration effects, 4) NIMBYs have valid reasons to oppose development, and 5) Increasing housing supply might trap more people in an undesirable equilibrium. He concludes by acknowledging the lack of clear alternatives but expressing skepticism that simply building more housing will solve the problem. Shorter summary
Jul 21, 2014
ssc

No Skyscraper Stagnation

12 min • 1,830 words • 157 comments
Scott Alexander refutes claims of American decline based on skyscraper construction, presenting data showing continued growth and recent boom in supertall buildings. Longer summary
This post debunks the claim that a decline in American skyscraper construction indicates a decline in American civilization. Scott presents data showing that America's capacity to build skyscrapers has not decreased, and in fact, there has been a recent boom in supertall skyscraper construction. He provides graphs showing the height of the tallest skyscrapers over time, the number of supertall skyscrapers, and the cost per foot of skyscraper construction. The post also points out that the period from 1940 to 1970, often considered a time of great technological progress, actually saw a decline in skyscraper construction, suggesting that skyscrapers are not a good indicator of technological or societal progress. Shorter summary