Missouri Lawmakers Propose Ban on Eviction Bans
A series of bills introduced in the state Legislature would prohibit city councils and county courts from adopting their own eviction moratoriums.
Policy
Audit: L.A. Spending as Much as $837,000 per Unit of Housing for Homeless
Despite apportioning over $1 billion for homeless housing, cost overruns and sluggish pacing threaten to jeopardize the city project.
Dave Chappelle Is a NIMBY
The comedian doesn’t want a new subdivision behind his house. Fortunately, he can’t stop it.
The Destruction of Detroit's Black Bottom
How the zeal for government project housing killed a prosperous black community in Detroit.
California City Says It Can't Allow Duplexes Because It's Already Overrun by Mountain Lions
"Every house that's built is one more acre taken away from (mountain lions') habitat. Where are they going to go?" asks Woodside Mayor Dick Brown.
What Homeschoolers Knew Before Everyone Else
Long before the pandemic, millions of students were completing their education at home. I was one of them.
Remy: You Need to Calm Down (Taylor Swift Parody)
Remy can’t shake off his distaste for San Francisco NIMBYs
AOC Is a Fake YIMBY
The New York congresswoman has endorsed much-needed zoning reform, but also raised typical NIMBY complaints about projects in her own backyard.
Zoning Officials Stop Church From Opening 40-Bed Shelter in Sub-Zero Temperatures
Gloversville's Free Methodist Church has 40 beds ready and waiting at its downtown shelter. City officials say the zoning code doesn't allow people to sleep in them.
Michael Shellenberger: How Progressives Ruined American Cities
The San Fransicko author on fighting homelessness and mental illnesses without shredding civil liberties.
The New York Times Posts Pro-Rent-Control Cringe
The traditional case for rent control isn't made any more convincing by a Democratic Socialists of America dance number.
Will New York Copy California's Most Successful Housing Reform?
The Golden State's legalization of accessory dwelling units has produced a glut of new housing. New York area policymakers are trying to replicate the success.
The Eviction "Tsunami" that Wasn't
Defenders of the CDC eviction moratorium predicted a "tsunami" of evictions would happen if the policy were rescinded. That hasn't happened.
California Distillers Get a New Year's Eve Reprieve From Ban on Shipping Booze Direct to Customers
Distillers have been granted emergency regulatory relief—for now.
2021 Was a Great Year for Zoning Reform
Jurisdictions around the world are trying to address high housing costs by eliminating regulations on new housing construction.
Who's Voting with their Feet for Texas and Why
Recent articles in the Texas Monthy and the New York Times provide some useful insight on why Texas has been gaining migrants at such a high rate.
Low-Income Condo Residents Say D.C.'s Demand That They Pay for Restoring Historic Balconies Will Force Them Out of Their Homes
The $1.5 million that it would cost to fully replace balconies at the historic Kenesaw apartment building could end up tripling the condo fees of some low-income residents.
The Biden Administration Crushes America's Brief Experiment in Showerhead Freedom
The Department of Energy's new energy efficiency rule drags us back to the dark days of 2013, when showers were allowed to emit no more than 2.5 gallons of water a minute.
Rent Control Is Fashionable Again. It's Still a Bad Idea.
Even supposedly well-designed rent control policies come at the expense of new supply while creating a class of renters opposed to necessary zoning reforms.
When Lawyers Make Things Worse - Housing Edition
A study suggests that "right-to-counsel" in eviction cases actually leads to greater homelessness.
Private Property Rights Made the First Thanksgiving Possible
Something to be grateful for.
Will Massachusetts Make Life Sweeter for Home-Cook Entrepreneurs?
It's oppressively hard, if not impossible, to sell homemade food in the Bay State. One lawmaker proposes massive regulatory reform.
San Francisco Considers Not One but Two Bills Legalizing 'Missing Middle' Housing Citywide. Both Have Flaws.
The otherwise positive proposals are undermined by affordability requirements and density restrictions.
Developers Halt Projects, Mayor Demands Reform After St. Paul Voters Approve Radical Rent Control Ballot Initiative
Unlike almost every rent control law in the country, the ordinance passed by St. Paul voters includes no exemption for new construction.
Biden's Build Back Better Plan Contains One Potentially Helpful Housing Program
Funding for affordable housing and grants to incentivize streamlining zoning laws could represent a policy win for YIMBYs.
Will the Democrats' 'Build Back Better' Bill Do Anything to Fix Zoning?
Will the "Unlocking Possibilities" program be an effective way to spark zoning reforms—or just a subsidy to planning consultants?
Democratic Socialists Lost Big on Election Night With India Walton Defeat
In Buffalo, incumbent Byron Brown staged a successful write-in campaign against DSA-backed candidate India Walton. Elsewhere in the country, DSA candidates won their local races.
In Gangbuster Night for Republicans, Glenn Youngkin Wins Virginia Governor's Race
Plus: The Twin cities both say yes to rent control, Eric Adams will be the next mayor of New York City, and more...
Joe Biden Presses Ahead With Vaccine Mandates, Inviting Legal Challenges
Plus: The Twin Cities will both vote on rent control ballot initiatives, New Jersey and Virginia voters will pick a new governor, and more...
The Kinks vs. the People in Grey
Happy 50th birthday to Muswell Hillbillies, a concept album about nostalgia, conformity, and the evils of urban renewal programs.
The Seizure and Eventual Return of Bruce's Beach Shows That Property Rights Are Human Rights
The land was taken in 1924 in order to kick a black family out of Manhattan Beach, California.
Boston Officials Want to Know if You Think This Dilapidated Shack Is Historically Significant
The city's solicitation of public input on the demolition of shacks, sheds, and boarded up homes is an invitation for NIMBYism.
Georgia City Sued Over Ban on Tiny Houses, Small Cottages
Requiring that homes and apartments be a minimum size is a major driver of high housing costs. A new lawsuit from a nonprofit developer argues those rules are also unconstitutional.
Anthony Downs, RIP
One of the greatest political economists of the 20th century passed away earlier this month.
San Francisco Wants To Sell the Air Rights Above City Hall for $45 Million. Why Not Give Them Away for Free?
The tradable development rights the city has in its possession are only made valuable by its insane restrictions on new development.
Federal Regulators Greenlight Trading of Bitcoin-Linked Securities, Delighting Investors and Infuriating Cryptocurrency Critics
Plus: Cuba violates the rights of peaceful protesters, New Zealand leads the world in zoning reform, and more...
Joe Biden's Proposed Ban on Fast, Effective Dishwashers Is a Gift to Big Business
Donald Trump legalized energy-hungry short-cycle dishwashers. The current administration is undoing that progress.
New York City Considers Requiring Landlords to Provide Free Internet to Tenants
A new bill introduced by Council Member Ben Kallos would require landlords to provide broadband internet. It would also forbid them from passing on the costs of internet service to tenants.
The Eviction Tsunami That Wasn't
A month after the Supreme Court struck down the CDC's eviction moratorium, eviction filings remain well below pre-pandemic averages.
The Sims 4: Cottage Living
You can finally set up a farm with crops and animals such as cows, llamas, and chickens—heedless of zoning rules!
California Returns Beach Property Wrongly Taken From Black Family via Eminent Domain
The government confiscated Bruce's Beach at racists' behest.
Seattle City Council Passes Rent Control by Another Name. Is It Legal?
New bills passed earlier this week require landlords to give tenants 180 days' notice before raising rents and pay relocation expenses to low-income tenants who move in response to rent hikes.
Berliners Endorse Creative New Housing Affordability Plan: Steal Buildings From Private Owners
The nonbinding ballot initiative encourages the city government to expropriate roughly 15 percent of the city's rental housing stock.
PennEast Abandons Plans to Use Eminent Domain to Seize State-Owned Land in Case that Resulted in a Major Supreme Court Decision
The case was the subject of a Supreme Court ruling in which the power of eminent domain prevailed over state sovereign immunity.
Vacant Homes Aren't Making Cities Expensive
And vacancy taxes won't make them affordable.
Two More Worthy Additions to the "Anticanon" of Constitutional Law - Berman v. Parker and Euclid v. Ambler Realty
Second in a series of posts on historically awful Supreme Court decisions that deserve more opprobrium than they get.
California Is Clueless About Homelessness
Both Los Angeles and San Francisco struggle with restrictive land use regulations that raise the costs and completion times of housing projects. That same red tape is now hobbling projects aimed at helping alleviate homelessness.
