Salim Furth
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Senior Research Fellow
Salim Furth is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research focuses on housing production and land use regulation. He frequently advises local governments and testifies before state and federal legislatures. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester.
Furth previously worked at the Heritage Foundation, at Amherst College, and as a contractor to HUD. His research has been published in Housing Policy Debate, Critical Housing Analysis, and the IZA Journal of Labor Policy. He serves as an advisor to the board of Texans for Reasonable Solutions and a Better Cities Project Fellow.
Featured Research
"Single-Family Zoning and Race: Evidence From the Twin Cities." Published in Housing Policy Debate.
"California Zoning: Housing Construction and a New Ranking of Local Land Use Regulation." (Salim Furth & Olivia Gonzalez)
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Housing Filters (Dorm/Shelter Edition) | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Arlington Missing Middle Lawsuit Decision | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Agenda: Dynamic Congestion Pricing for Autonomous Vehicles | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Here Are Five Fixes for the US Housing Shortage | Marketplace Radio
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
How to Streamline Housing Permitting in Maryland
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Case for Urban Renewal | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Boosting Housing Affordability: Practical Suggestions for Congress and the White House
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Hot Takes and Pensées, #UEA2024 | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Book Review: (de)Coding Mumbai | Market Urbanism
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Housing Filters (Dorm/Shelter Edition) | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Arlington Missing Middle Lawsuit Decision | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Agenda: Dynamic Congestion Pricing for Autonomous Vehicles | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Here Are Five Fixes for the US Housing Shortage | Marketplace Radio
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
How to Streamline Housing Permitting in Maryland
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Case for Urban Renewal | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Boosting Housing Affordability: Practical Suggestions for Congress and the White House
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Hot Takes and Pensées, #UEA2024 | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Book Review: (de)Coding Mumbai | Market Urbanism
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Single-Family Zoning and Race: Evidence From the Twin Cities | Housing Policy Debate
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Mostly Invisible: The Cost of Valid Petitions in Texas
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Single-Family Zoning and Race: Evidence from the Twin Cities
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
New Research Shows How Zoning Slows Racial Integration
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Build-to-Rent Housing Bans: A Case of Zoning Overreach
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
How One City Embraced Zoning Reform for Economic Growth and Community Preservation
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2023
- | 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
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Foundations and Microfoundations: Building Houses on Regulated Land
Latest Work
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Will the White House Housing Supply Action Plan Fix the Housing Crisis?

- | Housing Housing
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Biden Administration Creates Plan to Increase Affordable Housing | Marketplace Radio
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Metro Crisis | WFED Radio (DC)
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DC Metro’s Derailment | WTOP-FM
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Eviction Moratorium Lifted | WBAL Radio (Baltimore, MD)
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Housing Announcement | The Lars Larson Radio Show
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
How Impactful Will California’s SB9 Be? | Marketplace Radio
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Salim Furth on Morning Briefing - Eviction Moratorium
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Salim Furth on The Lars Larson Show - Eviction Moratorium
- | Housing Housing
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Land Use Regulations, the Rise of NIMBYism, and Options for Reform

Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Implementing Massachusetts's Ambitious Zoning Law
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Logic of Preemption in Connecticut
- | Housing Housing
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
The Geography of the Housing Crisis, or How Not to Repeat the Mistakes of 2007
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Implementing a Bold Comprehensive Plan
- | 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
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Preemption and Multifamily Housing
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Flexible Federal Funding: Examining the Community Development Block Grant Program and Its Impact on Addressing Local Challenges
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Agenda: Dynamic Congestion Pricing for Autonomous Vehicles | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Case for Urban Renewal | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Hot Takes and Pensées, #UEA2024 | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Book Review: (de)Coding Mumbai | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Stone: Diversity Didn’t Cause the Baby Bust | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Harris’ Housing Target: Compared to What? | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Much Does Delay Cost? | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Living on the Edge | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Dataviz Links: Over Time, Across Space | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary