Nanny-state-style regulations—think of bans on smoking (tobacco and e-cigarettes), trans fat, large sodas, and plastic bags—have been hallmarks of the ideology of urban progressives. But what happens when city dwellers on the Left personally experience the burdens of intrusive government? When they realize, for example, that zoning ordinances are driving up rent, when hip food establishments run into red tape, and when local governments threaten the new “sharing economy” (think Lyft and AirBnB)? They become what new MI senior fellow Aaron M. Renn describes as “libertarians of convenience.” At the Young Leaders Circle on Wednesday, April 1, Renn discussed this trend among liberal urbanists and the importance of embracing a broader principle of economic liberty for American cities.

Renn, who joined the MI team at the start of 2015, has spent 15 years in management and technology consulting and was a partner at Accenture. He’s held multiple technology strategy roles, directed multi-million dollar global technology implementations, and founded the urban data analytics web startup Telestrian.

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