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Protecting Us from Ourselves
In typical leftist fashion, Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson once again endorses regulations intended to protect us from our own decisions. His latest diatribe is in support of new regulations in Houston that requires that new homes be built two feet above the projected water level in a 500-year flood. The paternalistic columnist claims that,…
The Progressive Framework in Action
In a stunning, though not surprising, display of the Progressive framework in action, a coalition of more than 220 housing activists has called for Biden to enact national rent control. They encouraged the President to “regulate rent through every available authority” as a part of the Administration’s efforts to reduce inflation. The coalition wants the…
Renters now Paying for “COVID Discount”
The New York Times reports that many landlords in New York City are significantly raising rents—50 percent of more in many cases. They are trying to recoup losses suffered during the first two years of the pandemic. During that period, they had slashed rents to fill vacant properties. Renters are now paying the price for…
Why Texas Should Abolish Exclusionary Zoning
Cities across Texas are struggling with a severe shortage of low- and moderate-income housing. One of the primary causes is exclusionary zoning, i.e., single-family zoning, which makes duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and similar types of housing illegal. Fundamentally, the state’s housing shortage is being caused by violations of property rights—restrictions on how property owners can…
The Wrong Framework Leads to Bad Decisions
In my book, The Affordable Housing Crisis: Causes and Cures, I show how a century of policies attempting to provide affordable housing have failed. Indeed, those policies have made the housing crisis worse. Yet, politicians and housing activists clamor for more of the same policies. The wrong framework leads to bad decisions. Minneapolis provides us…
Command and Control doesn’t Work
Cities and counties in California are required to issue permits for a specific number of houses each year as a part of the state’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The RHNA is calculated in cycles every four to eight years. There are specific goals for each income category: Very low-income Low-income Moderate-income Above moderate-income The…