Housing
Cities are dynamic centers of exchange, innovation, and economic growth, providing the platform where people, ideas, and capital come together. However, the regulations that limit urban development reduce the potential for income mobility and rising standards of living over time. Mercatus research shows how land-use policy reform can reverse the stagnation in our cities and address the systemic problem of housing affordability.
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Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
Minnesota House of Representatives, Local Government Division
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Four: Removing Parking Requirements in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo illustrates how removing minimum parking requirements can increase housing availability, optimize land use, and make walkable development possible.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Three: Tysons, Virginia’s Transit-Friendly Development
Fairfax County, VA. policymakers set out to permit more high-rise multifamily housing on what was formerly land zoned only for commercial uses -- and it’s paying off.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Two: Portland, Oregon’s Accessory Dwelling Units
Portland, Oregon is an instructive example of how smart reform to accessory dwelling unit construction can increase housing availability, provide greater lifestyle flexibility, and reduce the environmental impact of home construction.
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Housing Affordability in Maine Has Become a Statewide Problem That Demands a Statewide Solution
Maine Joint Committee on Labor and Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Protecting Property Owners and Housing Affordability
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Implementing a Bold Comprehensive Plan
Auburn Planning Board
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Light-Touch Density and the State’s Role in Zoning
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Prince William County's Comprehensive Plan Should Welcome Accessory Dwelling Units
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulating without Zoning in Maine Towns
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Rezoning Protest Petitions Are Ripe for Reform
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Light Touch Density: A Series of Policy Briefs on Zoning, Land Use, and a Solution to the Nation’s Housing Shortage
Published by the American Enterprise Institute
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Preemption and Multifamily Housing
Massachusetts General Court, Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses Matters Pertaining to Zoning and Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Foundations and Microfoundations: Building Houses on Regulated Land
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Cities Can Solve Their Office Crisis and Housing Affordability in One Go
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reconciliation Bill’s “Zoning Reform” Provision Is Empty Spending
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options
- | Housing Housing
- | Article
Land Use Restrictions and Legislative Reform
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Cities Need a Building Boom To Avoid a Housing Bubble
We need to let housing construction be cyclical again and should embrace more lenient urban land use administration. Some cities are considering this now.
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
Minnesota House of Representatives, Local Government Division
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Four: Removing Parking Requirements in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo illustrates how removing minimum parking requirements can increase housing availability, optimize land use, and make walkable development possible.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Three: Tysons, Virginia’s Transit-Friendly Development
Fairfax County, VA. policymakers set out to permit more high-rise multifamily housing on what was formerly land zoned only for commercial uses -- and it’s paying off.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Two: Portland, Oregon’s Accessory Dwelling Units
Portland, Oregon is an instructive example of how smart reform to accessory dwelling unit construction can increase housing availability, provide greater lifestyle flexibility, and reduce the environmental impact of home construction.
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Housing Affordability in Maine Has Become a Statewide Problem That Demands a Statewide Solution
Maine Joint Committee on Labor and Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Protecting Property Owners and Housing Affordability
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Implementing a Bold Comprehensive Plan
Auburn Planning Board
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Light-Touch Density and the State’s Role in Zoning
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Prince William County's Comprehensive Plan Should Welcome Accessory Dwelling Units
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulating without Zoning in Maine Towns
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Rezoning Protest Petitions Are Ripe for Reform
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Light Touch Density: A Series of Policy Briefs on Zoning, Land Use, and a Solution to the Nation’s Housing Shortage
Published by the American Enterprise Institute
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Preemption and Multifamily Housing
Massachusetts General Court, Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses Matters Pertaining to Zoning and Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Foundations and Microfoundations: Building Houses on Regulated Land
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Cities Can Solve Their Office Crisis and Housing Affordability in One Go
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reconciliation Bill’s “Zoning Reform” Provision Is Empty Spending
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options
- | Housing Housing
- | Article
Land Use Restrictions and Legislative Reform
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Cities Need a Building Boom To Avoid a Housing Bubble
We need to let housing construction be cyclical again and should embrace more lenient urban land use administration. Some cities are considering this now.
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
State Economic Prosperity and Taxation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Working Papers Working Papers
How the Private Sector Can Improve Public Transportation Infrastructure
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Working Papers Working Papers
The Political Economy of State-Provided Targeted Benefits
- | F. A. Hayek Program F. A. Hayek Program
- | Housing Housing
- | Books Books
American Federalism: How Well Does It Support Liberty?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Books Books
The Economics of Medicaid: Assessing the Costs and Consequences
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Occupational Licensing: Bad for Competition, Bad for Low-Income Workers
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Deduction of State and Local Taxes from Federal Income Taxes
- | Housing Housing
- | Research Papers Research Papers
A Primer on State and Local Tax Policy: Trade-Offs among Tax Instruments
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
State Fiscal Condition: Ranking the 50 States | 2014 Edition
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Working Papers Working Papers
A Survey of Sales Tax Exemptions in the States: Understanding Sales Taxes and Sales Tax Exemptions
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Government-Financed Employment and the Real Private Sector in the 50 States
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Mercatus Center State Policy Guide
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
A Tale of Two Labor Markets: Government Spending's Impact on Virginia
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Modeling State Credit Risks in Illinois and Indiana
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, June 2013
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Beyond Unemployment: Pennsylvania's Sluggish Labor Market
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Beyond Unemployment: The Full Labor Market Picture of Ohio
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Do State Campaign Finance Reforms Reduce Public Corruption?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Books Books
Freedom in the 50 States, 2013 Edition
An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, March 2013
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Home Sharing Is a Boon to Baltimore
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Should Government Help People or Places?
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
New HUD Goals on Local Control, Affordable Housing May Be Incompatible
Local Development Restrictions Have Created Housing Affordability Problems in the Past
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
NJ Must Make Painful Fixes to Reverse the Fiscal Crisis
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Americans Own Less Stuff, and That’s Reason to Be Nervous
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Promise of Telemedicine in Mississippi
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Let Private Companies Pay for More Bike Lanes
How One Scooter Company Wants to Change Urban Infrastructure
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Arizona Is a Model for Red Tape Reduction
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Texas Has a Great Business Climate, but Not When It Comes to Regulation
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Wyoming gives states “HOAP” on health care
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Even A Better Deal Isn't a Good Deal When It Comes to Seattle's Stadium Renovations
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How DC's Minimum Wage Proposal Could Hurt Those It Seeks to Help
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Who Opposes Sports Betting?
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Your New Jersey Hair Braider Has to Take 1,200 Hours of Classes, and None Are about Braiding
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Lessons from NJ’s Problem-Plagued Bid to Cut Red Tape
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Puerto Rico's Already Low Labor Share Keeps Falling
Options for Policymakers
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why Land Use Regulations Matter
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Licensing, Justice Reform Will Aid Virginia’s Poorest
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Reform That Offers Hope for Centrists
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary