The alternative title for this piece was: "Ballot Box Zoning: Where Needed Housing Goes to Die."Next month, Los Angeles will be voting on Measure S, a proposed 2-year policy that will effectively serve as a moratorium on new construction. That is, Measure S will require a public vote on any new … [Read more...]
Only In California: Twisting an Anti-Exclusionary Law To Rationalize Exclusion
As a Market Urbanism reader, you are hopefully fluent in the problems of exclusionary zoning. If you're new to the term, there are some good pieces on the topic here and here. Basically: exclusionary zoning is the use of zoning to price people out of a community. The classic example is minimum … [Read more...]
The Land Value Argument Against New Housing
One common argument against new housing is that permitting it causes land to become more valuable, thus leading to higher rather than lower rents. It seems to me that this argument is unpersuasive for a few reasons.First, if it was true, places with permissive zoning would have higher rents … [Read more...]
When NIMBYs Use Renters’ Health To Stop Rental Housing
Davis, CA, is a small college town a twenty minutes' drive outside of Sacramento (on a good day). It has a vacancy rate on par with Manhattan despite being surrounded by flat, developable farmland. Some critics attribute this absurd vacancy rate to Measure R, a ballot initiative approved by Davis … [Read more...]
The Sheer Craziness Of New York City’s Rent Stabilization Mandates
Recently, I met someone who was trapped in a terrible apartment. Why "trapped"? For months (if not years) she had been in an adversarial relationship with both her landlord and her neighbors, but she can't quite bring herself to leave. Why not?First, she is in a rent-stabilized apartment, and … [Read more...]
The Disconnect Between Liberal Aspirations And Liberal Housing Policy Is Killing Coastal U.S. Cities
[This post was originally published on the blog Better Institutions]The people who live in coastal urban cities tend to be a pretty liberal bunch. We're leading the country on minimum wage laws, paid sick leave, climate change mitigation, and a host of other important issues. We care deeply … [Read more...]
If Landlords Can Profit, Homes Must Be Great Investments, Right?
Homeownership boosters use many arguments in favor of buying rather than renting, one of which is that purchasing a home is a key part of the path toward a lifetime of financial success. They often say that renters are helping landlords profit when they would be better off paying their own … [Read more...]
7 Reasons To Oppose Los Angeles’ Neighborhood Integrity Initiative
[This piece was originally published on the site Better Institutions.]On March 7th, Los Angeles is going to vote on the type of city it wants to be.The vote will be over Measure S, formerly known as the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative (NII), which seeks to limit housing development in the … [Read more...]