The death of the small apartment building
Developers in the U.S. built 358,000 units of new multifamily housing in 2017. That’s less than half the number of single-family homes built last year, but the gap between the two has narrowed a...
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...
Criminals vs. property owners
But adjudication processes by regulatory agencies are different, and sometimes result in property owners being treated worse than criminals. In criminal law, due process works to ensure that innocent people are not convicted of crimes....
Rent control raises housing costs
A new paper analyzes the effects of rent control expansion in the city and finds that it reduced rental housing supply, causing a city wide-rent increase. People are understandably worried about the cost of living,...
The cost of inaction
Most of us share a common trait: We are “housers.” We understand the foundational importance of the home. Our homes, of course, meet a basic need—shelter. But our homes can and should also provide stability...
Tax reform has potential to solve the housing affordability crisis
“Our tax system still siphons out of the private economy too large a share of personal and business purchasing power and reduces the incentive for risk, investment and effort.” You might be forgiven if you...
Time to restore local control over zoning—and end Obama’s HUD intrusion
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing allowed HUD to halt distribution of more than $3 billion of annual community development block grants to about 1,200 counties and cities unless the recipients abide by federal dictates on...
The multifamily industry lost in ‘86: That can’t happen again
Not since the days of Ronald Reagan, Bill Bradley and Jack Kemp has a wholesale overhaul of America’s tax code been a serious prospect. However, with President Donald Trump’s surprise victory in November and...
We can heal nation through housing
As we have seen time and time again, individuals, families and children able to afford quality shelter live better, healthier lives. Unfortunately, it is well documented that too many cannot. In 46 New York City schools...
Are there enough shovel-ready workers?
In a 9/15 campaign speech at the New York Economic Club, he predicted that his plan would increase employment by 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years. I looked at the 10-year...
Affordable housing’s not so affordable solution
Looking for an easy solution to this complicated problem, hundreds of cities and counties have adopted so-called “inclusionary zoning” ordinances, demanding that developers build and sell a certain percentage of the homes they develop...
New York’s self-inflicted housing crunch
But there’s also the anxiety from New York’s crazy-quilt pattern of land use regulation, which a New York Times editorial recently labeled “High-Rise Anxiety.” The unease stems from the many overlapping restrictions both on...
When will affordable housing advocates push for more supply and fewer rules?
The lack of market rate supply contributes to high prices that puts market rate housing out of reach, and as long as that problem goes unaddressed, more and more subsidies will need to be...
The hidden virtues of income inequality
The New York Times recently ran a front-page exposé of segregation by wealth in the booming cruise business. The article, by Nelson Schwartz, was entitled “In an Age of Privilege, Not Everyone Is in...
Our water system: What a waste.
The price of this neglect will be high. In Flint, Mich., the mayor has estimated that it will cost as much as $1.5 billion to fix or replace lead pipes. Over all, repairing our...
