Rent Check
A key reason for the crisis in housing affordability is a lack of supply, and government subsidies can help address the problem. However, that doesn’t mean that government programs aimed at increasing supply are free from rent-seekers. Reforms are needed to ensure this process is done efficiently and accountably.
News and Commentary
Bloomberg’s Justin Fox takes on the proliferation of unspectacular apartment buildings. He partially attributes their spread to zoning laws that restrict new construction to limited areas of town.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is working on legislation that would remove some of the financial barriers developers of affordable hosing projects currently face.
Also in San Francisco, a recent poll shows growing support for increased apartment construction around transit stations. The poll was on SB 50, the son of Scott Wiener’s SB 827.
Brookings Institution’s Jenny Schuetz takes on the notion that middle-class finances should revolve around home ownership. Aimed at improving access to quality renting options, she covers three policies that would increase the supply of housing through land-use reform, remove some of the unpredictability of renting, and improve the financial health of renters so that they aren’t as dependent on home ownership.
New Research
Eric Joseph van Holm and Christopher K Wyczalkowski look at the patterns of gentrification in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. They argue for government policies to protect communities during rebuilding efforts.
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