Why business despairs of Obama
Those who might help us escape are now being held back by the anti-business policies of President Barack Obama.
Obama's administration predicted a V-shaped recovery, based on the historical experience of the 1970s and 1980s....
A climate action plan for affordable multihousing
To reduce the deadly threat of climate disruption, it is essential to rein in polluting energy use, especially the wasteful conventional consumption of electricity in buildings. Currently, large multifamily residential buildings represent a huge...
Community opposition to multifamily
Overcoming community resistance to multifamily development
Community opposition to multifamily has become one of the top barriers to construction of accessible, sustainable housing in America. But there are strategies developers can use to build political...
EPA’s back-room “Sue and Settle” deals require reform
Imagine, also, that the EPA and the Kochs then got a federal court to issue a decree ratifying the deal and giving it the force of law? The sun would not likely set on...
The moral economy
But despite the politicians' rhetoric, it is not hard to understand why America is in trouble.
First, there has been too much madcap real estate speculation. In recent years, housing prices were driven sky-high on...
The time the federal government built a flawed housing project and tore it down...
On the 50th anniversary of the demolition of Pruitt-Igoe, it’s nearly impossible to understate the failure of the St. Louis public housing project.
Famed architect Minoro Yamasaki, who would go on to design the World...
New York City’s rent control laws erase property rights and worsen housing supply
Owning property means more than having your name on a deed. Lawyers and judges often refer to property ownership as a “bundle of rights,” because with ownership comes more than just the mere right...
Can Biden help housing? White House solution isn’t nearly enough.
At one time or another, every politician—local, state, and federal—promises to help create “affordable housing.” The issue has become especially critical of late with rents and housing prices rising and higher interest rates making...
Housing’s recession already happened?
A lot of people still expect the U.S. to fall into a recession. But for the housing market, the recession could already be in the rearview mirror.
Builders are sounding less downbeat than they were...
The day the leasing office died
The landlord selected an apartment for the prospect, that is, as soon as the results of the leasing application and credit screening were deemed acceptable. An obedient tenant could sit and wait for the...
New research could upend our understanding of economic inequality
Inequality has become one of the most hotly debated topics in economics, spurred on by Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which argued that inequality could inexorably rise if the income from...
Government must step in to prevent rental housing shortage
Rents are starting to rise dramatically and in every major metropolitan area are expected to rise from 3 percent to 10 percent in 2011 and beyond. That means a family paying $1,700 a month...
Why Biden’s plan to help make housing affordable will make it more expensive
Because the 2020 election was largely a referendum on President Donald Trump, many of Joe Biden’s policy proposals have been overlooked until now. The recent announcement of some of his cabinet picks shows that...
New lawsuit in Seattle: Housing ordinance is unfair and unconstitutional
Seattle’s Fair Chance Housing Ordinance, passed by city council in 2017, forbids landlords from considering applicants’ criminal histories when selecting tenants. In other words, landlords cannot base a rental decision on concerns over their...
Politicians seek relief for renters, but landlords have rights too
State and local governments have closed businesses across the country in response to COVID-19, putting millions of Americans out of work. Right now, those Americans’ biggest concerns are keeping a roof over their heads...
