June 16, 2019 | Re-posted from Reason Magazine ~~~
Mainstream media is starting to embrace the idea of deregulating housing construction. Will policymakers?
Read Post: More about affordable housing facts in Kittitas County
Is housing policy having a libertarian moment? One could be mistaken for believing so after scanning the mainstream media’s coverage of the issue over the past couple of days.
Today, The New York Times published an exhaustive analysis of zoning in 10 U.S. cities, showing how these locales are making housing artificially expensive by restricting the construction of apartments within city limits and suburban homes at their urban fringes.
On Monday, Washington Post columnist Charles Lane argued the same basic point, even calling out the liberal politicians who are happily presiding over these restrictive regulatory regimes.
In the cities with the worst affordability problems, Lane writes, “Democrats are the party of government, but the housing crisis is in large part government-created.”
“Blue American cities and counties need new rental housing, but local zoning, building codes, approval processes, and other regulations…hinder construction,” he adds.
Even The New York Times Editorial Board—hardly a friend of unfettered free markets—is on board with this narrative. “The United States is suffering from an acute shortage of affordable places to live,” reads their Saturday editorial. “Perhaps the most important reason is that local governments are preventing construction. Read More at SOURCE: Reason Magazine
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