Cory Booker Understands Restrictive Zoning Codes Are a Problem. How Much Will That Matter for His Presidential Run?
All three Senate Democrats running for president have distinctive housing reform proposals.
Policy
Two Lawsuits Show What a Hot Mess California Housing Politics Is Right Now
How much power does the state of California have to force NIMBY localities to build more housing?
Is the Deregulatory Phase of the Trump Presidency Grinding to a Halt?
The Competitive Enterprise Institute says there's a bunch of regulatory warning signs, from trade to antitrust to speech.
At the Most Expensive Affordable Housing Project in America, Every Apartment Cost $739,000 To Build
How a heavily subsidized Culver City development became the nation's most expensive affordable housing project.
Government Caused Housing Segregation. Do We Need More Government to Fix the Problem?
The Manhattan Institute's Howard Husock debates Economic Policy Institute's Richard Rothstein at the Soho Forum.
My USA Today Op Ed on Using Emergency Powers to Build Trump's Wall
The op ed explains why this option is not legal - and why it would set a dangerous precedent if the president succeeded in doing it.
Washington Forced Segregation on the Nation
It's time to remedy the effects of that terrible policy.
My New "Washington Post" Op Ed on Eminent Domain and the Border Wall
The op ed describes the extensive harm likely to be caused by condemning the large amounts of private property that would need to be seized to build the wall.
Anti-Wall GOP Rep. Will Hurd: 'There's a Thing We Care About in Texas Called Private Property Rights'
Some members of Congress still care about private property.
Oregon Likely to Become the First in the Nation to Adopt Statewide Rent Control
And that will probably make housing less affordable, not more.
City Officials Ordered San Francisco Man To Rebuild Exact Replica of Demolished Home. Now He's Fighting Back.
City officials determined years ago that the home was of no historic value.
The 7 Most Insane Licensing Proposals of 2019 (So Far)
State lawmakers target pet groomers, drain cleaners, interior designers, pecan buyers, athletic trainers, antler dealers, and....art therapists?
Developer Sues Labor Groups Over Use of California Environmental Laws To Stop Construction
Two unions called out for threats to sue if they don't get hired to build.
Two Governors Kick Off 2019 With Big Occupational Licensing Reforms
A new law in Ohio and an executive order in Idaho require state lawmakers to take a more active role in overseeing occupational licensing boards.
Rep. Justin Amash Takes on Eminent Domain with 'Just Compensation' Bill
The bill would likely stop Trump from using the "military version of eminent domain."
Bill de Blasio: 'We Will Seize Their Buildings, and We Will Put Them in the Hands of a Community Nonprofit'
NYC's mayor takes on private property (again).
My Op ed on Trump, Emergency Powers, and the Wall
The op ed was published yesterday in the New York Daily News, but may be even more relevant today.
While U.S. Cities Hold Up New Housing, Hong Kong Entertains Creating New Islands
The Hong Kong government has floated the idea of building four artificial islands which could house one million people.
Eminent Domain, Emergency Powers, and Trump's Wall
Can Trump really exploit emergency powers to use eminent domain to build his wall without additional congressional authorization? If he succeeds, conservatives are likely to regret the precedent he sets.
Trump's Terrible Record on Property Rights
The President's recent threat to use "the military version of eminent domain" to seize property for his border wall is just the tip of a larger iceberg of policies and legal positions inimical to constitutional property rights.
What the Hell Is the 'Military Version of Eminent Domain'?
Whatever it is, it can't be good.
RIP Herb Kelleher, the Man Who Democratized Air Travel
The swashbuckling Southwest Airlines honcho is dead at 87.
The Trump Administration Has Issued the Fewest New Regulations In Decades. Does That Matter?
Raw counts of new rules added or pages in the Federal Register are a poor measure of deregulatory efforts.
Judge Confirms: Oregon Engineer Has a First Amendment Right to Call Himself an Engineer
Even if the Oregon Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying disagrees.
Government Policy Created Housing Segregation. So Should Government Be Required To Fix It?: Debate
The next Reason/Soho Forum, in New York on January 14, pits Richard Rothstein vs. Howard Husock on how to correct a historic wrong.
Ben Carson Battles the NIMBYs
The HUD secretary's desire to tackle restrictive zoning is encouraging, but real reform will have to come from the bottom up.
This Insane Battle To Block a New Apartment Building Explains Why San Francisco and Other Cities Are So Expensive
Bob Tillman has spent nearly 5 years and $1.4 million trying to convert his laundromat into new housing.
Silicon Valley May Rue the Day it Called for Government Intervention Against Microsoft
Facebook, Google, Apple, and others are now facing the sort of regulatory and antitrust animus once leveled at Bill Gates' company.
Progress in the Struggle Against Exclusionary Zoning
Reforms in multiple jurisdictions could help loosen restrictions on development that infringe on property rights, inflate housing prices, and cut off large numbers of people from job opportunities.
Oregon Proposes Ditching Single-Family Zoning Statewide
Cities and states are embracing bold housing reforms as the year ends.
San Francisco Orders Property Owner to Build Exact Replica of Demolished Home
The 1930s building must be rebuilt exactly as it was, save for a plaque explaining the details of its demolition.
Internet Freedom Swirling Around Drain as Dems, Reps Threaten Antitrust Action on Google, et al
Yesterday's hearings didn't clarify much except that Washington is in a mood to regulate tech giants.
When Democrats Loved Deregulation
Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, and 1970s Jerry Brown understood that government regulations hurt the little guy while enriching big-business incumbents.
Vermont Man Barred From Building on His Own Property Flips Off Government With Giant Middle Finger Statue
And there's nothing the town can do to stop him.
Progressive Minneapolis Just Passed One of the Most Deregulatory Housing Reforms in the Country
Urban liberals are won over to libertarian policies, if not libertarian politics.
Minneapolis Strikes a Blow for Affordable Housing by Slashing Zoning Restrictions
Zoning rules that severely restrict home construction cut off millions of poor people from jobs and affordable housing. The Minneapolis reform is the most extensive reduction in zoning achieved by any major American city in a long time.
Miami Beach Shut Off Home's Electricity, Water, Over Unpaid Airbnb Fines
The fine is likely unconstitutional, and the city's strong-arm tactics were blocked by a judge this week.
Are You Ready for the 'Inevitable' Clampdown on Tech and the Media?
When Apple's CEO Tim Cook says "the free market is not working," bad things are coming.
Berkeley Councilmember Denies City is Anti-Housing, Then Almost Immediately Votes Against More Housing
California's local officials are always in favor of more housing in general, but rarely support the individual projects that come before them.
Mandatory Warrantless Rental Inspections Inspire Seattle Lawsuit
Institute for Justice to city: Show probable cause, guys.
Anti-Development Activists Killed California's Last Stab at Free Market Housing Reform. Will They Get on Board With This Latest Attempt?
Senate Bill 50 would override restrictive local zoning laws to allow more housing construction near transit.
Oakland Gets Sued For Law Requiring That Landlords Pay Tenants Up to $12,000 Just to End a Lease
Lyndsey and Sharon Ballinger's lawsuit claims that Oakland's Uniform Relocation Ordinance is unconstitutional.
Conservatives Are Wrong to Call for Government 'Trust Busting'
Censorship is when government limits speech, and tech firms are not monopolies. They are successful private businesses; others are free to compete with them.
Rejoice, Angelenos! Your Bacon Dogs Will Soon Be Street Legal
After years of conflict and erratic enforcement, Los Angeles finally passes a formal plan to allow street vending.
A Ford Mustang Costs About the Same as in 1968, but College Costs a Helluva Lot More
A brief look at 50-year cost and quality trends in cars, houses, college and health care.
