61 Stupid Laws in Urbanism

Mikael was thinking about many of the stupid laws in urbanism - crazy legislation in cities around the world - that inhibit a healthy urban life and try to restrict personal freedoms and the development of our cities. He asked his network on social media and they contributed to Mikael compiling a VERY INCOMPLETE list of stupid urbanism laws. This is really the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more. It would require a whole new KZbin to cover them all.
Links
Top Ten Ways to Hate on Pedestrians
• Top 10 Ways to Hate on...
Metamorphosis Project
www.metamorphosis-project.eu/
The Right to Dry
laundrylist.org
The Bicycle House in Malmö
www.copenhagenize.com/2017/02/...
Toronto’s Crazy Pedestrian Laws
torontoist.com/2015/08/histor...
More about Mikael
colville-andersen.com
The Life-Sized City
lifesizedcity.com
Music by Mikael Gjøl

[@leonefoscolo]

Here I florence, Italy, the mayor just invented one way pedestrian streets. Yes you heard it right, you cannot turn around once you have entered a street by foot. Keep in mind there is no fine if you do it. In practice they just put two slightly distanced barricades and a police officer on the intersection, but it's ridiculous that they are trying to manage pedestrians as vehicles, it really shows how the traffing engineering mindset is dominant

What? So I won't be allowed to bump into people anymore?

[@rvallenduuk]

Here in Dublin I was told by a police officer that by taking my hands off the handle bars of my bicycle I was no longer in control of my vehicle and therefore had given up my priority. That's after the officer, driving his car towards me, turned right into my path and I raised my hands, gesturing "what are you doing?" Three seconds later blue lights and a siren...

[@jonathanirons231]

My local bike shop here in Vienna had beautiful retro porcelan letters made to be fixed flat to the wall above the entrance, reading "Fahrräder" (bicycles). When the building was renovated, he was warned that he would be liable for a charge on signs "overhanging the pavement". The letters had a depth of around 1cm.

[@FLOFRESHABEL]

I disagree strongly with calling #45 a stupid law. Most (if not all) outdoor portable heaters are just the worst in terms of energy efficiency and are rightfully banned.

[@LifeSizedCity]

But there are many excellent models on the market that are much more energy efficient. /Mikael

@@LifeSizedCity You're expecting too much from a business to go and buy a new model when they already have one. Most business will stick to whatever they have even if it's ancient, dangerous and contaminating as long as it works. And most clients don't care as long as they're comfy. So I think that law makes sense.

[@catprog]

@@LifeSizedCity How can they be more energy efficient? The biggest problem is the heat escapes from the area not how much energy it takes to provide a BTU of heating.

[@krombopulos_michael]

@ why not just make a law mandating a certain level of energy efficiency instead of a total ban then?

@@krombopulos_michael Well, you can always stay inside the cafe instead of outside. That will definitely save energy.

[@johnfife3062]

Let's also talk about good, progressive laws. The right to dry is good. In my city and also many Japanese cities, it's illegal to build so as to shade another person's solar panels. Good stuff.

[@Ljngstrm]

10:20 My upstairs neighbour keep beating the dog's rug on balcony above me, absolutely covering my furniture and plants in smelly dog hair. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea, maybe it's just me being a snobby Frederiksbergenser :D

[@alexandernordstrom1617]

In many jurisdiction, the freedom to create or publish photographs or videos of public places is severely restricted if they include public art or architecture. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_panorama In Sweden, it is illegal for three-wheeled bicycles to stop while on a bike path. (Trafikförordningen 3 kap 48§) The Swedish Transport Administration is prohibited by law from constructing bike paths that do not run alongside a road for motor vehicles. (Väglag 1971:948) In Singapore, jaywalking (which not only includes crossing on red, but also crossing outside marked crosswalks), begging and chewing gum are all illegal.

[@Zoe-uj8fd]

#32 I didn't know this myth about Greece existed, but it has nothing to do with taxes. They are just rebars for a possible future extension. It used to be a common practice, for example, if you had children and you expected them to build a flat above the current one when they would grow up. About property taxes, you can't avoid them if you have electricity in your house, no matter how unfinished it is. You do pay less if it has no electricity though. There's a more detailed explanation here -> skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/27662/do-greeks-evade-taxes-by-not-finishing-their-houses#

[@user-iu2um8fd8n]

Thank you! I've also heard about it and thought it was true and thus also told. Good that you break this chain of ignorance.

[@klausbrinck2137]

Maybe it did change recently, but that was the reason for many decades... Almost everybody was doing it, and the reason was common knowledge (to not pay property taxes for the house/building). Later apparently, they changed it in as far, that you don´t get electricity if not paying those taxes, and so, silenced the problem... Of course, not getting electricity if not paying those taxes (thus no causal connection between those 2 processes) is anti-constitutional, but no citizen ever cared to tilt this law...

[@ImranShaikh-gh2wd]

love this video - rules in UK parks are endless, no ball games is a classic

[@lorenzoneumann7199]

Outside heating is forbidden in France because it contributes to energy waste and indirectly to global warming. I agree with the fact that forbidding something altogether doesn't make any sense but the principle behind it isn't bad

[@dangergranger1]

Was thinking that, I wonder if you can get an exemption if using green power

[@woutervanr]

@@dangergranger1 Until we're 100% green it's stupid to waste it on something like this instead of things that we actually need. It's not that weird of an idea to go inside for a drink when it's -5.

[@dangergranger1]

@@woutervanr Unless you want to smoke

[@MrMjb1998]

Some of these, such as turning on right on red lights, I've never even thought about as affecting bicycle infrastructure. Considering I've almost died countless times due to this it shouldn't be allowed in North America! Thanks for the video, as well as informing bike policy in Calgary, AB!

[@alyssajorgensen3279]

As a North American cyclist my solution to that particular problem, is stopping my bike to the left of the right turning lane, so I don't have to worry about cars turning right into me. It does not solve the problem of oblivious drivers turning left however. Biking here is rough.

[@paulmentzer7658]

The problem with turn right on red is automobiles are suppose to pull into the bike lane before the turn NOT turn from what is a center lane. That forces any bicyclist to pass that turning car on the car's left even if that forces the cyclist out of the bike lane.

[@pedrolopes3542]

I agree with minimum parking requirements, because if there are no private parking spots on buildings, all the cars that would be parked on the private parking spots will end up being parked on the public street space, hindering the passage of other cars, bicycles, walkers, etc.

[@catprog]

3) Probably worried about "Undesirables" in the park and don't want to pay the police to monitor it. (or find homes for the homeless) 7)What happens when the drunk riders go out into the busy road? 10)I will defend this law if the infrastructure is not in place. 18.5)Does the Florida law mean I get to erect a large wind turbine in my back yard? 19)Drunks probably. 21)Probably someone left a sofa out in the rain. 23)Is this any different from your pet getting loose? 24/25)Roosters are noisy. 33)Existing buildings: It would be too expensive to rebuild. 34)Any water harvested upstream means less for downstream. 36)I don't know if this is an actual law. It might be a confusion of two other things. -Solar without battery do not work -If you connect solar to the grid it must shut off if the grid is out. 40) They don't want a wreck in the street. 41) Oil goes down the storm drain. 43)Probably to stop people claiming sidewalk space and forcing people to walk around them. 45)Have you looked at how much energy is wasted by these? 52,54) Good advice but probably not law material. 59) I wonder if the beach is so small that they need every square meter for people to sit/walk.

[@dmiguelagueda]

35 - No solar panels on homes in Spain This is not properly explained. It started when the government before the 2008 crisis promised to pay huge incentives for solar panels during 25 years (to be paid by the energy grid company); so a lot of solar farms (it was much more efficient to install huge solar farms in the countryside) were installed, then the government found out they didn't have enough money to pay for the incentives, so we still pay those that were built during those times, but the government closed the registration of new solar installations. You could still install solar panels in your house or in a solar farm, but you will not get sell the energy, so solar panels didn't make any economic sense. Then the government allowed to install new solar panels, and if you are completely off the grid it was fine, the problem was if you have solar panels but also required some energy from the grid, then you needed to pay the energy grid company (by the way this is a public company) for the energy you may need, even if you later didn't really needed it. This was call the "Tax on sun". Later government reduced this "tax" to a 7% ( as it said in the video) and later to null: but remember that the energy grid company is a public company, they still need the same money; so they imposed a new tax on energy for everyone else, who can't afford solar panels. In summary, a horrible law intended to promote solar power 15 years ago later down the road caused huge problems to develop solar power.

[@Pyjamas22]

Another good one to add would be the view cones in Vancouver. They are so restrictive that the majority of the skyscrapers and high rises that are in development in metro Vancouver are in the suburbs, including the tallest building.

[@pedropinheiroaugusto3220]

There are two ruling schools of law, as far as I know, which are the english, that presumes that if it's not forbidden then it's allowed, and the german, which presumes that if it's not allowed then it's forbidden. Of course, there are some variations, like the russian law, that is built upon the notion that if it's allowed then it's forbidden, and the portuguese law, that implies that if it's forbidden then it's allowed. Keep up the good work.

[@fredericduhau7669]

Very great gathering! About measure 45 on the external heaters in Paris, it will be forbidden next winter 2021-2022, for ecological reasons. The café culture is huge and it is a total of 12500 cafés which are heating their terraces, making explode the electric consumption and create a major CO2 release. At the same time, the air conditioners placed at the door during summer will be forbidden.

[@wojtekscibor]

#16 - makes sense when you still have to yield to the traffic on the green light lanes, in Poland there are smaller green lights for just turning right (not everywhere) and when you see those, you still have to stop before moving forward to the intersection

[@TehKorwinMikke]

Hopefully the Polish drivers will soon start learning about this! It seems like the majority of Polish drivers shouldn't be allowed on the road, because they tend to not follow simple, basic road rules.

[@user-cg3hh1qm3e]

#16 still living in the streets of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, and probably in the rest of ex-Yugoslav countries. We need to see that change ASAP

[@williamcheek7206]

the Boulder one sounds silly until you drive through a frat neighborhood at the end of the school year.

[@chaitanyalodha3948]

Is it Eucledian zoning Or all zoning? I would really argue in favor of the form based zoning 😅

[@NickM-ko7tm]

Didn't Edmonton recently remove parking minimums?

[@vaiyaktikasolarbeam1906]

3:25 in my town it isnt really illegal it just the park is dirty ... too many dog feces so it mostly just playground for dog owner. Atleast it has some use.

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

I love quadricycles but in Quebec you are not allow to have them power assisted, pedal power only... With bicycles tricycles tho, you can.

[@Teapode]

2022 New Polish law deniyng children from 10-18 to ride bikes without permission. Permission could be gained by completing drivers licence or by compleeting biking test by primary school director. Children without permission could not ride eaven with supersision of parents.

[@finnk1289]

#10 is the worst law in urbanism, period - it completely quashes a mode of transport and worse, is paired with a culture supported by the status quo.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

I assumed you would be FOR bike helmet requirement laws, for safety.

[@user-iu2um8fd8n]

Number 11 is also illegal here. I did that once, on a wide bike path at low speed. The police were there immediately and has meant that is not allowed, get off immediately or penalty! It is ridiculous.

[@christill]

In my town there was eventually a vote on 20mph speed limits after a long campaign. But if passed it would have only applied to roads where the observed traffic speed was already below 20mph. So completely pointless.

[@LifeSizedCity]

So stupid. /Mikael

[@mdhazeldine]

I remember building sandcastles on the beach in Majorca as a kid in the 1980s. When did that law come in and why? Seems rediculous.

[@dmiguelagueda]

A few years ago. It varies for each township, in general It is not intended for children's castles, but for those huge castles as sculptures where the artist ask for money next to it.

[@MickaelJulliard]

I paused the video as he said "It also applies to taking sh-" and really thought it was gonna go another way, until I unpaused.

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

It's a sure win when you list stupidity.

[@LifeSizedCity]

What did I win?!? :-) /Mikael

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

@@LifeSizedCity My gratitude. And many views I hope.

[@aenorist2431]

#45 isn't so much stupid as your criticism of it is. Cheap gas (due to other dumb policies, granted) means its economical for a cafe to pump out fucktons of CO2 for your coffee in december. A city at the arctic circle in winter should not be "kicking" outside, thats decadently putting your fun above global warming. Go inside if its cold out like a sensible person. So long as we are not regulating fossil fuels to be as expensive as they should be (the real solution to the problem), we need to control businesses and private people from just completely wrecking climate targets just because fuel is (artificially) cheap.

[@LifeSizedCity]

The citizens of northern cities, where there is only a few hours of daylight have the right like anyone else to enjoy urban life, but you - who don't live there - tell hundreds of thousands of people far away from where you live to just go inside. There are many sensible solutions to outdoor heating. I recommend looking into it. Like most cities and towns in the Nordic countries, city-wide District Heating - much of it from sustainable energy - provides the opportunity for cafe heating, heated sidewalks, etc. There's a whole world for you to explore. /Mikael

[@catprog]

@@LifeSizedCity But you were talking France not the Northern cities. Why does France need the outdoor heating?

[@circeus]

Despite its name, Fort Qu'appelle is not in Quebec. It's in Saskatchewann.

[@MatthiasPeter]

In Switzerland, turning right at a red light will be allowed next year for cyclists. But only with an extra sign. Btw, I din not know about the Swiss law that it‘s not allowed to use the toilet or shower after 10pm, alltough I live in Switzerland. But it doesn‘t surprise me, as this law is typically Switzerland 😂🇨🇭

[@AndersHenke]

There’s similar rulings (not rules!) in Germany and Switzerland: usually, the municipality or state declares some basic rules to avoid loud noise in residential areas, so citizens can get some rest and sleep at night („Nachtruhe“). Some housing contracts do also repeat those rules to avoid neighbours clashing over noise. There are also EU directives such as 2002/49/EC who also do differentiate between day and night (based on the clock), so similar things are likely in other countries - or people just know it’s not acceptable to drill holes into their walls or mow their lawn late at night. Depending on how exactly you’re living and if your home’s walls are silencing or transmitting noise, certain activities (like flushing a noisy toilet or extensive showering) can produce some excessive noise in other apartments. If this happens once - just forget about it. If it happens repeatedly, just talk to your noisy neighbours and discuss how to avoid that situation. Sometimes, the floor plan is simply stupid: I once had an apartment with the TV outlets on a specific wall, which happened to be a bedroom’s head piece wall of my neighbours. A low volume setting on my TV was experienced by my neighbours as “they noisy neighbour”. A quick chat and visit cleared the case, and both parties avoided that wall for their bed/TV. However, some folks always go to court or are unable to agree with others. As neither of both Germany or Switzerland has case law, this will usually result in different rulings, individually adapted to the situation. Say, if you’re working early shifts and are constantly being woken up by your neighbours - this may be an issue. For example, your noisy neighbours may be working late shifts and arrive late at night, right during your sleep. In those cases, most courts simply agree that some level of personal hygiene and care must be allowed even at night. This may rule out taking a long bath or extensive showers, but “just a few minutes” to get rid of dirt or sweat before going to bed is fine. Avoiding the hair dryer at night is also a common suggestion. If your apartment is in a city centre with outside restaurants, you’re usually considered to consent to some level of noise in late summer nights - though there’s also limits on that as well. If your neighbours are simply partying every weekend and take extensive showers while singing out loud, they’re usually being told to limit their activities at night in order to respect the sleep and rest of others. And some folks from countries with case law then do see one specific, individual courts ruling and oversimplify this as “in Switzerland, you’re not allowed to flush the toilet or shower after 10pm” - creating another urban myth.

[@paulmentzer7658]

That was old "Eastern" rule in the US. Prior to the widespread adoption of the model traffic code in the 1980s, there was two "rules" as to turn on red. The "Eastern Rule" was you could turn on red IF THERE WAS SIGN PERMITTING SUCH A TURN. The alternative rule was the "California law" which permitted turn on red unless a sign forbad such a turn. As part of the proposed Model Traffic code the California rule was made the standard rule. All states adopted variation of the Proposed Model Traffic code as to turn on red unless a sign forbad such a turn, and that is the law in the US except in New York City.

To be fair, I've seen parks in Montevideo and Buenos Aires without the "don't step on the grass" sign and they looked lousy. People are often careless and will run, stomp, and even dig grass and parterres. Not to mention leaving garbage everywhere and bringing the dogs to shit and pee wherever they please. So yeah, kind of annoying but in many places is the lesser evil option.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

Then replace the grass with bushes and/or trees. Easier maintenance, more pleasant environment, good for birds, insects, and small mammals, and people won't walk on them anyway so the rule is easier to enforce.

@@bramvanduijn8086 From your message, I'm guessing you never been to Argentina...

[@bramvanduijn8086]

@ No, I haven't. Not the right climate for bushes and trees?

​@@bramvanduijn8086 ​ Oh, no, the climate is perfect. The problem is the people in general, and more specifically high levels of criminality. Burglars and drug addicts often use bushes or small trees to hide. And people often throw garbage under any bush, hedge, shrub or low bench. So yeah, people might not walk on the grass, but then you have a whole new problem (potentially two) out of the solution.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

@ If burglars can still fit between the trees, then you haven't planted enough. A hiding spot needs space to hide in. For example, fill it all up with thorny bushes. Also, people steal and rob because their life sucks, very few people prefer that life to a good job that both pays well and is interesting. So create jobs. With your new park design you are going to need arborists anyway. Drug addicts aren't a problem if they can get their drugs, they only become a threat if you keep their drugs expensive by making them illegal. Check out Portugal's methods. Trash dumping is a sign your trash collection guidelines aren't doing their job. Surround the park with garbage cans, keep adding cans until people stop walking around them to drop the trash in the bushes. If that means a solid wall of garbage cans, then so be it, because apparently the people need that many garbage cans there. Be it thieves, addicts, or trash dumpers, people always tell you what they want by their behaviour. Thieves want money for a better life, addicts want money for drugs (which in a way is also to feel better), trash dumpers want to get rid of trash.

[@svenjorgensenn8418]

Very few videos on the negatives of this new urbanism trend. If the government is involved they will get one thing right and three things wrong…

[@Valjean666dk]

I support the law against using recorders. 99% of the time it sounds horrible.

[@Alexa-uk8lj]

Turning right on red is great

[@1972Nik]

I københavn skal parasoller som forretninger, fx cafeer har stående på gaden være enten hvide eller sorte.

[@LifeSizedCity]

What?! Vild. Vidst det ik. /Mikael

[@drdewott9154]

Nå meget for at være en farverig by.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

I'm pissed off about the anit-cow law. Now I want to go out and buy a cow.

[@Daniel-jv1ku]

Requiring good architecture that enhances character is a good idea. I have no idea why you're against it.

[@pastequeman]

you said no border but a lot of themcome from Ontario

[@LifeSizedCity]

And a lot didn't. :-) /Mikael

[@jehusanchez942]

#11 Also Illegal in Mexico City

[@lloovvaallee]

It seems Canada has a disproportionately large number of silly laws. I blame LeCorbusier for much of this nonsense .

[@ThisIsGoogle]

I also hate cities

[@georgantonischki1188]

#14 I‘d like to defend the rule, that a reasonable cause needs to be there for limiting traffic. „Proper cycle“ lanes as denoted in the tweet are cycle paths, which require the cyclist to drive there. The vehicle lanes in the middle of the street are then forbidden for cyclists! This concept is a Nazi Invention as well and is often used to speed up car traffic! I have a street nearby with two car lanes in one direction and a mandatory cycle lane -a whopping one meter wide- directly next to it! The pedestrians also have about a meter. There is a railing, so better be careful and keep your lane. For a long time German bike lanes were built to speed up car traffic (Source in German: www.adfc-nrw.de/projekte/still-leben-a40/das-laengste-fahrradmuseum-der-welt/station-3-geschichte-der-radwege/geschichte-der-radwege.html) Cyclists were (and still are) considered as Verkehrshindernis, a traffic block. Bike lanes were designed that way and were found to be not very safe as well. Quite a few cyclists have used §45 to get rid of truly nasty bike lanes. In east Germany I have seen a mandatory cycle lane, which ended at each intersection to somehow give cars the right of way. I have seen another bike lane, which after a few meters requested cyclists to dismount. And a dual direction one, which changed sides every few hundred meters. There was one crossing with a swoop where the cyclists were hidden behind brushes. And one in Rosenheim, where the large semi trucks always cut the corner across the bike lane (here: goo.gl/maps/QysbouJHCjKPib3VA on the satellite picture you can see a small car cutting the corner, this is a major truck route) §45 allows cyclists to challenge these atrocities

[@WanderABit]

Weird list. So what is wrong with forbidding swearing in public park? Is it a place for everybody or just hoodlums? Similar story with playing music -- yeah, the last thing anyone needs when *resting* from all the noise is another noise. I say, it is pretty simple -- live as you like, but do not interfere with your lifestyle with other lives (translation: swear to yourself so nobody hear it, please flute as loud as you like as long nobody hear it, and so so on and on).

Why swearing freaks you out so much?

[@WanderABit]

@ Who said it freaks me? First of all I don't need anyone swearing, it not an added value, quite opposite. Besides, it is not swearing per se, it is being ALOUD -- this is the key. All it takes is for example playing your favourite tune, like Mozart or Bach, so everybody in 1km^2 could "enjoy" it. Again, live as you like, but please keep your living to yourself.

@@WanderABit Fair enough.

[@79ped]

Det er ulovligt at cykle med én hånd medmindre du giver tegn .. Alle andre tider SKAL begge hænder holdes på styret

[@LifeSizedCity]

Nope. Færdselsloven § 49, stk. 4.

[@alexandernordstrom1617]

@@LifeSizedCity On a related note, though, in Sweden, you must give a hand sign when turning (for the duration of the entire turn), and you must give a hand sign whenever you are slowing down (which one usually does when turning), but you must also keep at least one hand on the handlebars. I do feel this is discriminatory towards people with two or fewer hands.

[@user-iu2um8fd8n]

The first one is right from my city, where I also study urban development. Unfortunately, the majority of politics here is in the hands of the conservatives and right-wingers, who are all car lovers and would prefer to concrete everything over. The mayor dreams of new multi-level garages in the city center. The traffic department, on the other hand, is in the hands of the communists (yes, really!), though they were originally in charge of the housing issues, but the Right-wing majority then assigned the difficult traffic issue to the communists, thus taking away the housing department to hurt them politically. The Communists now say that parking and cars in the city must be affordable even for the poor, and accordingly there must be plenty of cheap space for them...That is, here even the Leftists are in favor of cars. The only ones who are against the car madness are the Greens, but they are politically too weak.

[@anthonysiebenthaler682]

old white men in suits...in Denmark, in the 1950s'.....Hmmmm They seem to have done quite a good job with all the other stuff they did until recently.

[@Smalltime]

I dont see what’s stupid about requiring developers to put in parking spots on the land they are developing? As without this the streets gets filled with cars!

[@LifeSizedCity]

It's called Induced Demand. Create more space for cars - parking or roads - and you get more cars /Mikael

[@LifeSizedCity]

And part of the reason that there are so many cars now is these parking requirements.

[@Smalltime]

@@LifeSizedCity I thinks that’s what you call speculation :) there might be some truth, but until we get the robot taxies we need cars. Allowing developers to disregard the need for parking, is in no way a solution. These cars will end up on public streets.

[@petermarksteiner7754]

@@Smalltime If at all, it's the car owners who should be required to have a (non-public) space to park their cars, not property developers.

[@Smalltime]

@@petermarksteiner7754 Ok, if you follow that logic then what car owner is going to bye an apartment with no parking spots ?