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...]
Archives for January 2017
How To Finance A Sanctuary City
President Trump has threatened to withhold all federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities--municipal governments that do not enlist their police departments in the president's mass deportation plan. If he makes good on his threat, cities that insist on maintaining their sanctuary status can … [Read more...]
Market Urbanism MUsings January 27, 2017
1. This week at Market Urbanism: If Landlords Can Profit, Homes Must Be Great Investments, Right? by Emily HamiltonA childless couple might purchase a four-bedroom home in a good school district for the future, meaning that they end up over-consuming housing for their yet unborn … [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...]
Market Urbanism MUsings January 13, 2017
1. This week at Market Urbanism: The Rural Libertarian As A Historical Anomaly by Sandy IkedaI believe the positive correlation between political conservatism and libertarianism and rural or “agricultural” living is an historical anomaly; that historically the countryside has been a … [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...]
Burrowing Owls, Comic Books, and Telling Stories That Change the World
[This article, originally published on the site Tech for Housing, has been updated. Mai-Cutler's kickstarter has a few days left. You can donate here.] How Burrowing Owls Lead To Vomiting Anarchists (Or SF’s Housing Crisis Explained) is Kim Mai-Cutler’s 2014 TechCrunch masterpiece exploring the … [Read more...]