Policy
New York's Progressive Rent Regulations Having the Exact Same Negative Consequence That Skeptics Predicted
New York told landlords they couldn't pass along renovation costs, so landlords stopped doing renovations
Trump Administration Repeals Federal Protections on Puddles, Dry Stream Beds, Some Ditches
Hysterical reactions greet the White House's modest changes to federal clean water rules.
Is Houston's Affordability Just a Myth?
A new article argues unconvincingly that the sprawling Texas metro is less affordable than ultra-expensive New York City after accounting for higher transportation costs and lower incomes.
'Jane Jacobs Goals Through Robert Moses Tactics'
Community planners don't have all the answers.
The Trump Administration Wants To Speed Up the Delivery of Infrastructure Projects
New proposed regulations from the White House's Council on Environmental Quality would limit how long federal environmental reviews could last.
Oakland Uses SWAT Force With Tanks and an Armored Vehicle To Evict Squatting Activists
A group of homeless mothers moved into an Oakland, California, home they didn't own.
Occupational Licensing Hurts the Little Guy
People who want to work should be allowed to work.
Arizona Governor Wants To Put the Public in Charge of Licensing Boards
Right now, most licensing boards require that the majority of members be from the same licensed profession. It's not difficult to see how that leads to anti-competitive rules.
Gavin Newsom's Solution to California's Homelessness Problem: Throw Another Billion Dollars at It
But the underlying problems remain unaddressed.
Adding Jobs but Not Housing Is a Recipe for Urban Unrest
New York City has failed to zone for enough housing to keep pace with growth.
Abolishing Single-Family-Only Zoning Expands Freedom and Choice
And it might make housing more affordable in many places. Conservative NIMBYs should not stand in the way.
Maryland Housing Package Combines Upzoning With Vienna-Style Social Housing
Del. Vaughn Stewart (D–Montgomery County) says a mix of new private and public housing is needed to combat Maryland's housing affordability problems.
A Major California Upzoning Bill Is Back, but Faces an Uncertain Future
Despite amendments to make the bill more palatable to local governments and community activists, Sen. Scott Wiener's (D–San Francisco) SB 50 faces an uphill battle.
City Says Man's Giant, Semi-Ironic 'Trump 2020' Sign Is a Code Violation
A massive 15 foot tall Trump/Pence yard sign has unfortunately turned political.
New Trump Administration Regulations Say That Affordable Housing Is Fair Housing
The Trump administration's proposed rewrite of fair housing regulations would ditch lengthy Obama-era reporting requirements in favor of a laserlike focus on housing affordability.
Pot, Guns, Tampons, Narwhals, Bail, Bags, and More Face New Rules in 2020
Plus: Libertarianism in the 2020s, Trump's flavored vape ban, and more...
L.A. Is About to Screw Up Legal Street Vending the Same Way It Screwed Up Legal Pot Sales
High permit fees and unprepared bureaucrats get in the way of delicious street tacos and bacon dogs.
Virginia Bill Would End Single-Family-Only Zoning in the Old Dominion
The legislation would allow duplexes on any residential plot in the state.
Progress on Exclusionary Zoning, Regression on Rent Control
Many jurisdictions are alleviating housing shortgages by cutting back on zoning. Unfortunately, there is also a trend towards expanding rent control, which is likely to have the opposite effect.
The 2010s Were a Terrible Decade for Housing Construction
NIMBYism has dominated housing policy for the last ten years. Will the 2020s be any better?
Activists vs. One Man's Skee-Ball Arcade: How Red Tape Is Ruining San Francisco
Joey Mucha wanted to convert his warehouse into a restaurant, bar, and arcade. Then community activists intervened.
When Shelters Are Full, Can Cities Herd Homeless People Into Jails?
The Ninth Circuit says no, and the Supreme Court isn't weighing in.
Supreme Court Declines To Hear Challenge to Local Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance
The decision leaves intact local governments’ power to force private developers to build affordable housing.
San Francisco Ballot Measure Would Tax Empty Storefronts in Attempt to Boost Retail Sector
The initiative would leave untouched all the city regulations that've made it so hard to start a business in the first place.
Bill Would Roll Back Prohibition-Era Gun Rules
The legislation aims to undo the "egregiously unconstitutional registration, taxation, and regulation of short-barreled rifles."
Los Angeles Bans Developers From Making Campaign Donations
In the midst of a housing crisis, L.A. politicians have decided to limit their own incentives to allow more housing construction.
Los Angeles Is Spending Over $1 Billion To House the Homeless. It's Failing.
Los Angeles County saw disease outbreaks and 1,000 homeless deaths last year.
Feds Sue California City Over Law That Mandated Evictions for Criminal Activity—Even When No One Was Arrested or Charged
A Department of Justice lawsuit argues Hesperia’s rental ordinance amounts to illegal racial discrimination.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Right to Oppose This NYC Mega-Development
But she's wrong about why it's bad.
Ilhan Omar's $1 Trillion Housing Proposal Is an Expensive Joke
The Homes for All Act misdiagnoses the roots of the country's housing problems, then adds a boundless faith in the feds' ability to solve them.
Despite Stiff NIMBY Opposition, San Francisco Business Owner Will Be Allowed to Convert Arcade Repair Business Into Normal Arcade
The struggles Joey Mucha had to go through to secure a simple change of use permit highlight the problems inherent in San Francisco's planning process.
Free People Don't Ask the Government for Permission
"Liberty," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "is unobstructed action according to our will; but rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will, within the limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others."
Democratic Candidates Acknowledge Poor Housing Supply, but Not How Government Causes It
More federal spending won’t make housing more accessible as long as regulations and zoning drive up prices.
San Francisco Activists Are Trying to Stop Business Owner From Converting His Arcade Repair Shop Into a Normal Arcade
Neighbors say Joey Mucha's plans for a Skee-Ball arcade in the Mission would be a positive addition to the community. Activists disagree.
Republicans and Democrats Rev Up Spin Machine for Start of Public Impeachment Hearings
Plus: the effects of restrictive zoning on education access, DACA's uncertain future at the Supreme Court, and Mayor Pete's miraculous surge
Pete Buttigieg Has a $1 Trillion Plan to Drive Up Housing, College, and Labor Costs
Dramatic increases in federal spending will not “unlock access” for the poor. It will only help those with the right connections.
DACA Has Its Day at the Supreme Court
Plus: New York's rent control expansion has predictable effects, people are boycotting Uber again, and violence continues in Hong Kong.
American Taxpayers Are Subsidizing Ultra-Cheap Shipping From China
For decades, the U.S. Postal Service has charged some countries less than it charges domestic shippers to move packages within the United States.
Is New York City Barreling Toward Its Own Housing Crisis?
A report from the city's Department of Planning finds that housing construction has not kept pace with job growth.
Bernie Sanders Blames Apple for Silicon Valley's Government-Created Housing Crisis
Development restrictions and NIMBYism, not tech sector success, explain Silicon Valley's housing costs.
California NIMBYs Sue To Stop In-N-Out Burger From Coming to Their Town
Opponents use a notorious environmental review law to keep a famed fast food restaurant out of Rancho Mirage.
Hannibal Buress on Bernie Sanders' National Rent Control Proposal: 'Wrong'
The actor and comedian is the owner of a three-unit rental property in Chicago.
California's Wonky Insurance and Land Use Regulations Make the State's Wildfires Deadlier and More Destructive
The state has made it exceedingly difficult to build in fire-safe cities, while also making insurance rates in high-risk areas artificially cheap.
