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.
Featured
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Housing? YIMBY, Please
Street-by-street zoning could help make the world’s cities more affordable.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Quotable Quotes: Targeted Economic Development Subsidies Don't Create Economic Growth
![victoria-kubiaki-7m2c916cxyi-unsplash-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/victoria-kubiaki-7m2c916cxyi-unsplash-min_0.jpg?itok=L8WzaXIS)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Property Taxes Are Rent to a Public Landlord
Part Nine of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![toa-heftiba-nrszruwqmoi-unsplash.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/toa-heftiba-nrszruwqmoi-unsplash.jpg?itok=O2hZglUe)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Market for Neighborhoods
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Tight Lending Regulations are a Wealth Subsidy
Part Eight of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![gettyimages-157382910-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-157382910-min.jpg?itok=EWDmJlRV)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Quotable Quotes: The Prisoner’s Dilemma of Targeted Economic Development Subsidies
The only winning move is not to play
![black-and-white-black-and-white-chairs-2157191_1-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/black-and-white-black-and-white-chairs-2157191_1-min.jpg?itok=AKVbGGFZ)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Squeezing Unqualified Borrowers
Part Seven of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![jan-gottweiss-bnq7rdzqwci-unsplash-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/jan-gottweiss-bnq7rdzqwci-unsplash-min.jpg?itok=QgnxpTkR)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Myth about Bubble Buyers
Part Six of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![gettyimages-463245087-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-463245087-min.jpg?itok=2qNX9aUG)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rising Prices, Lower Rents; Rising Rents, Rising Prices
Part Five of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![gettyimages-922788110-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-922788110-min.jpg?itok=lhcokOKV)
- | Housing Housing
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Land Use Regulations, the Rise of NIMBYism, and Options for Reform
A Macro Musings Transcript
![gettyimages-975037264-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-975037264-min.jpg?itok=lZs55lIw)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Real Estate Investment Doesn’t Increase Spending
Part Four of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![architect-1080589_1920-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/architect-1080589_1920-min.jpg?itok=ovu1B0LL)
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
HUD Does Not Need to Target Opportunity Zones
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why London Is Better Than New York
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Jobless Rate Drops to Historic Low (And It's No Lie)
- | Housing Housing
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Alain Bertaud on Cities, Planning, and Order Without Design | EconTalk
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What Are Landlords Good For?
Part Two of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![tom-rumble-645202-unsplash.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/tom-rumble-645202-unsplash.jpg?itok=nCa-eU2M)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Thinking Clearly About Housing Affordability
Part One of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![160323-f-xm667-001-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/160323-f-xm667-001-min.jpg?itok=7Vq4M7Up)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How The Minimum Wage Hurts Entire Neighborhoods
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Do Minimum Lot Sizes in Suburbs Contribute to Texas Sprawl?
- | Housing Housing
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Do Minimum-Lot-Size Regulations Limit Housing Supply in Texas?
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Housing? YIMBY, Please
Street-by-street zoning could help make the world’s cities more affordable.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Quotable Quotes: Targeted Economic Development Subsidies Don't Create Economic Growth
![victoria-kubiaki-7m2c916cxyi-unsplash-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/victoria-kubiaki-7m2c916cxyi-unsplash-min_0.jpg?itok=L8WzaXIS)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Property Taxes Are Rent to a Public Landlord
Part Nine of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![toa-heftiba-nrszruwqmoi-unsplash.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/toa-heftiba-nrszruwqmoi-unsplash.jpg?itok=O2hZglUe)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Market for Neighborhoods
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Tight Lending Regulations are a Wealth Subsidy
Part Eight of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![gettyimages-157382910-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-157382910-min.jpg?itok=EWDmJlRV)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Quotable Quotes: The Prisoner’s Dilemma of Targeted Economic Development Subsidies
The only winning move is not to play
![black-and-white-black-and-white-chairs-2157191_1-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/black-and-white-black-and-white-chairs-2157191_1-min.jpg?itok=AKVbGGFZ)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Squeezing Unqualified Borrowers
Part Seven of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![jan-gottweiss-bnq7rdzqwci-unsplash-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/jan-gottweiss-bnq7rdzqwci-unsplash-min.jpg?itok=QgnxpTkR)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Myth about Bubble Buyers
Part Six of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![gettyimages-463245087-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-463245087-min.jpg?itok=2qNX9aUG)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rising Prices, Lower Rents; Rising Rents, Rising Prices
Part Five of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![gettyimages-922788110-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-922788110-min.jpg?itok=lhcokOKV)
- | Housing Housing
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Land Use Regulations, the Rise of NIMBYism, and Options for Reform
A Macro Musings Transcript
![gettyimages-975037264-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/gettyimages-975037264-min.jpg?itok=lZs55lIw)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Real Estate Investment Doesn’t Increase Spending
Part Four of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![architect-1080589_1920-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/architect-1080589_1920-min.jpg?itok=ovu1B0LL)
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
HUD Does Not Need to Target Opportunity Zones
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why London Is Better Than New York
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Jobless Rate Drops to Historic Low (And It's No Lie)
- | Housing Housing
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Alain Bertaud on Cities, Planning, and Order Without Design | EconTalk
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What Are Landlords Good For?
Part Two of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![tom-rumble-645202-unsplash.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/tom-rumble-645202-unsplash.jpg?itok=nCa-eU2M)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Thinking Clearly About Housing Affordability
Part One of Kevin Erdmann's Housing Affordability Series
![160323-f-xm667-001-min.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/160323-f-xm667-001-min.jpg?itok=7Vq4M7Up)
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How The Minimum Wage Hurts Entire Neighborhoods
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Do Minimum Lot Sizes in Suburbs Contribute to Texas Sprawl?
- | Housing Housing
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Do Minimum-Lot-Size Regulations Limit Housing Supply in Texas?
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Corruption is Bad for Growth (Even in the United States)
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom
- | F. A. Hayek Program F. A. Hayek Program
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Is More Federal Grant Money What the States Need?
![ARRA_0.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/ARRA_0.jpg?itok=ZiC_pquQ)
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Tomorrow's Schools Today: New Zealand's Experiment 20 Years On
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Building Walls Against Bad Infrastructure Policy In New Orleans
- | F. A. Hayek Program F. A. Hayek Program
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Will More Public Spending Pave the Way to Better Infrastructure?
![publication-American_Reinvestment_and_Recovery_Act.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/publication-American_Reinvestment_and_Recovery_Act.jpg?itok=Wpklnt8P)
- | F. A. Hayek Program F. A. Hayek Program
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Main Street Economic Recovery Proposal
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Lessons from Business Improvement Districts: Building on Past Successes
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
From BIDs to RIDs: Creating Residential Improvement Districts
![publication-From_BIDS_to_RIDS.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/publication-From_BIDS_to_RIDS.jpg?itok=2SSEeqGg)
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Fire in the National Forest System: California Solutions for a California Problem
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Mercatus on Policy: All Go in the GO Zone?
- | Housing Housing
- | Research Papers Research Papers
State Scorecard Evaluation: Louisiana
- | F. A. Hayek Program F. A. Hayek Program
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Race, Politics, and Punishment: Democratic Failure in the New Orleans Mayoral Election
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Book Chapter: The Cultural Opposition to Capitalism
Mythbusting Through Our Past
![51S4W8oE2-L._SL500_AA300__1.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/51S4W8oE2-L._SL500_AA300__1.jpg?itok=XZdVpYUo)
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Occupational Licensing and Asymmetric Information
Post-Hurricane Evidence from Florida
![cato-journal-v28n1.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/cato-journal-v28n1.jpg?itok=-T8BTrRw)
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Exposed Refineries, Price Gouging and the Gas Crisis That Never Was
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Buried Online: State Laws That Limit E-Commerce in Caskets
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Subsidizing Addiction: Do State Health Insurance Mandates Increase Alcohol Consumption?
Latest work in Housing
Latest work in Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Is Your State the Next Puerto Rico?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Save Puerto Rico by Setting the Island Free
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Washington, Take Note: California Experiments with Highway Funding
![infrastructure.png](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_small_height/public/d7/infrastructure.png?itok=DV7Ch-Iv)
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Are Federal Regulations Hurting Your State's Economy?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
PAs Key to Better Healthcare in Kentucky
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
This Is How You Regulate Uber
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Is Your State Prepared for a Recession?
- | Financial Markets Financial Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Is Innovation Over?
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Ohio's Finances Worse than They Appear
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
$15 Minimum Wage: An Engine of Inequality
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Are Transportation Cost Overruns Deliberate?
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Injustice of Eminent Domain
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rent Control Policies Are Ineffective, Unjust
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Four Regulations That Increase Housing Costs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Feel-Good State Policies Costing You Money
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Saving Puerto Rico Requires Labor Market Reforms
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Tax Increase Hidden in Your House
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What Will It Take to Solve Puerto Rico's Debt Crisis?
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What Can Be Done to Fix N.J., Pa. Budget Woes?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary