One common argument against new urban housing runs as follows: "If we build new housing, it will all be bought up by rich investors who will sit on it. So new supply doesn't restrain housing costs." This argument (at least as I have phrased it) strikes me as absurd. Here's why: for the argument … [Read more...]
YIMBYism: Its Not Just For Conservatives
Last week, I posted about an attack on YIMBYs (activists who favor less zoning and more housing) that used the term "alt-right"; the authors of that blog post recently doubled down with a slightly more moderate op-ed that still tarred YIMBYs as "aligned with conservative right-wing … [Read more...]
An Attack on Market Urbanism
The far-left "TruthOut" web page recently published an attack on YIMBYs,* describing them as an "Alt-Right" group (despite the fact that the Obama Administration is pro-YIMBY). I was surprised how little substance there was to the article; most of it was various ad-hominem attacks on YIMBY … [Read more...]
Richard Florida and Market Urbanism
I just finished reading Richard Florida's new book, The New Urban Crisis. Florida writes that part of this "crisis" is the exploding cost of housing in some prosperous cities. Does that make him a market urbanist? Yes, and no.On the one hand, Florida criticizes existing zoning laws and the … [Read more...]
Four Warnings For Los Angeles On Measures S
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...]
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...]
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...]