Help Workers by Breaking Down Barriers to Labor Mobility
Labor Day is a good time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet.
Zoning
L.A. Finally Lets People Eat In Parking Lots
Los Angeles temporarily eased parking requirements during the pandemic, offering a glimpse of how much a less restrictive zoning code improves urban life.
The Number of 'Super Commuters' Explodes in America's Housing-Starved Metros
The number of people spending more than 90 minutes getting to work has grown 45 percent over the past decade, according to a new study.
Antiquated Zoning Laws Are Worsening the Housing Crisis
Ending single-family zoning doesn't ban single-family homes from neighborhoods. It merely allows more freedom for people to build what they want.
The U.S. Has Strayed Far From Its Founding Ideals
Governments at the state, local, and federal levels can obstruct our pursuit of happiness and at times even jeopardize our safety.
Seattle Is Proposing to Get Rid of Single-Family Zoning In Name Only. Literally.
More and more cities have taken preliminary steps toward allowing "missing middle" housing options in once exclusive single-family neighborhoods, but the devil is in the details.
Malibu Man Fined $4.2 Million Over Disputed Beachfront Gate
Warren Lent is suing the California Coastal Commission, arguing that its power to unilaterally hand down massive fines with minimal process is unconstitutional.
New York NIMBYs Protest the 'Manhattanization' of Manhattan
The New York Blood Center wants a larger headquarters to continue its cutting-edge medical research. Activists claim the new building will cast too much shadow.
Land-Use Restrictions Cause Housing Shortages in Britain, too
As in the US, they often block the building of new housing in response to demand.
San Francisco Honors Early Lesbian Activists by Preventing Redevelopment of Their Home
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to landmark the longtime home of gay rights activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin.
A Cross-Ideological Case for Ending Exclusionary Zoning
A recent Century Foundation report highlights reasons why breaking down barriers to building new housing should appeal to left, right, and libertarians alike.
Scott Wiener Is California's 'YIMBY' State Senator
The YIMBY Democrat wants to make it easier to build more housing in California's densest and most expensive cities.
Exclusionary Zoning is Even Worse than Previously Thought
Fixing a calculation error in a leading academic article on the subject shows that zoning has a far bigger negative impact on the economy than was previously realized.
Florida Lawmakers Are Cracking Down on Secret Snitches
Two state bills would generally prohibit local code enforcement officials from acting on anonymously reported violations.
Joe Biden's $2 Trillion Jobs Plan Endorses 'YIMBY Grants'
The president endorses a competitive grant program that would reward localities for loosening their restrictive zoning codes.
New Hampshire Towns Turn Out Tiny-Home Dwellers
The regulatory pursuit of quality housing means some tiny-home residents actually end up with no housing.
California's YIMBYs Forgo Big State Upzoning Bill In Favor of Wonkier, More Modest Reforms
New bills in the legislature would make it easier for cities to allow more housing on their own, and crack down on places that try to cheat their way out of permitting development.
The Silver Lining in Biden's Massive Housing Plan
A Democratic White House and a Republican Senate might be the best of all worlds when it comes to federal housing policy.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Vetoed One Outdoor Dining Bill Because It Took Too Much Power Away From Zoning Officials. Will He Do That a Second Time?
Garden State lawmakers have unanimously passed two bills now allowing restaurants to keep their outdoor operations running so long as their indoor dining rooms are restricted.
Pandemic-Slammed Small Businesses Require Regulatory Relief
Entrepreneurs discouraged by red tape even before COVID-19 need officials to leave them alone.
Edward Glaeser's "Four Freedoms" Strategy for Revitalizing American Capitalism
The Harvard economist explains how to expand opportunity for the young by deregulating housing, labor, and education.
Will Cities Survive 2020?
COVID-19 is reigniting old debates about zoning, public health, urban planning, and suburban sprawl.
Libertarians Should Make More Use of Referendums
Libertarianism is far from wildly popular, overall. But libertarian causes have done well in referenda in recent years. We can build on that.
The Atlanta Sex Toy Magnate Who Can't Stop Picking Fights
Michael Morrison used to be a boxer. Now he brawls with zoning boards and tax collectors.
Trump, Biden Voters Both Like Government Housing Spending a Lot More Than Housing Development
A new survey from realty company Redfin finds that only 24 percent of Trump supporters and 32 percent of Biden voters support reducing zoning regulations in their neighborhood.
Who's Worse on Housing, Trump or Biden?
When it comes to the two major party candidates' housing plans, libertarians are left looking for the lesser of two evils.
George R.R. Martin Becomes a Victim of NIMBY Zoning Restrictions
Sadly, he's far from the only one. If we want to "break the wheel" of poverty and housing shortages, we need to roll back zoning.
NIMBYs Stop Game of Thrones Author George R.R. Martin From Building the Castle of his Dreams
The Santa Fe Historic Districts Review Board refused to grant an exception to its height limits to accommodate a seven-sided keep.
Colorado Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal From Housing Activists Who Claimed Inaccurate Election Guidance Doomed Their Ballot Initiative
City officials repeatedly gave activists false information about the requirements for getting their initiative on the ballot.
Donald Trump and Ben Carson Go Full NIMBY in The Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration has abandoned its own promising housing reforms in favor of toxic culture war politics.
Boulder Officials Told Campaigns They Had Until August to Qualify for the City Ballot. Now They Say the Deadline Was Actually in June.
The switch threatens an initiative to repeal Boulder's restrictions on unrelated people living together.
'Music City' Finally Legalizes Home Studio Businesses
Nashville's Metro Council repeals the city's blanket ban on home businesses servicing customers onsite.
Empowered by Excessive Regulations, 'Permit Karen' Harasses Her Neighbors and Calls the Cops
How invasive questions about a stone patio permit turned into a Black Lives Matter protest
Trump's Bizarre Twitter Attack on Obama-Era Fair Housing Regs Reveals an Administration at War With Itself
The president's criticism of the 2015 AFFH rule is an implicit attack on his own housing reforms.
County Threatens Fines, Demands Expensive Alterations From Arizona Couple Hosting Free Yoga Classes and Potlucks on Their Property
Joshua and Emily Killeen are suing Yavapai County, Arizona, for what they claim are unconstitutional restrictions on their ability to advertise their business and host events on their rural property.
Can't Afford Your Rent? Blame Herbert Hoover.
The feds pushed cities to implement zoning restrictions. High prices and social inequality were the inevitable results.
Density or Sprawl? How To Solve the Urban Housing Crisis
Land use regulation is making cities unaffordable. In an unfettered market, how would Americans choose to live?
Judge Rules Businesswoman Must Remove Dresses From Her Home
Fairfax County, Virginia, allows home businesses but prohibits them from keeping inventory on site.
Judge Rules Developers Must Remove Up to 20 Existing Floors From Manhattan Condo Tower
Two non-profit groups argued that developers had been improperly awarded a building permit for a 112-unit condo building on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
SimCity Created a Generation of Urban Planners
Three decades later, is it time for the city simulation game to get political?
San Francisco Bureaucrats Can Shoot Down Almost Any Housing Project They Want. This Ballot Initiative Would Change That.
Mayor London Breed's Affordable Homes Now initiative would streamline the approval of code-compliant housing projects as long as developers include additional affordable units.
'Jane Jacobs Goals Through Robert Moses Tactics'
Community planners don't have all the answers.
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.
