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
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
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Tackling America’s Housing Crisis | Top of Mind
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2025
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Laying Foundations: Momentum Continues for Housing Supply Reforms in 2024
- | 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
Can YIMBY Policies Cause Large Price Declines? | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
“The Traditional Model” | Market Urbanism
Latest Work
- | 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
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Tackling America’s Housing Crisis | Top of Mind
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2025
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Laying Foundations: Momentum Continues for Housing Supply Reforms in 2024
- | 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
Can YIMBY Policies Cause Large Price Declines? | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
“The Traditional Model” | Market Urbanism
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Decomposing Housing Unaffordability
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Ordinances at Work: Seven Communities That Welcome Accessory Dwelling Units
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Setting Community Development Priorities in Maine
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Does Census Hiring Stimulate Jobs Growth?
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Economic Uncertainty
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Housing Restrictions
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Commuting
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
When the Moratorium Expires: Three Quick Steps to Reduce Eviction
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Here's to Dynamic American Cities!

Latest Work
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Property Rights, Balance, Segregation, and Zoning
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The State versus Single-Family Zoning
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Four Benefits of Limiting Minimum Lot Sizes
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
HUD Can Use Housing Market Data to Inform Fair Housing Accountability
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Allowing Triplexes Would Lower Rent in Maryland
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Allowing Missing Middle Development Would Contribute to Housing Affordability in Nebraska
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Housing Affordability Is Attainable through Regulatory Reform
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
HUD Does Not Need to Target Opportunity Zones
- | Housing Housing
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Expanding Housing Opportunity in an Environment of Exclusionary Regulation
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Conditioning HUD Grants on Housing Market Outcomes Furthers Fair Housing
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
“The Traditional Model” | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Interrogating the Strong Towns “Ponzi Scheme” | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Mumbai Upzoning | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Responsive Cities in the Arena: Brazil Floods | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Market Affordable | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How “Inclusionary” Are Market-rate Rentals? | Metropolitan Abundance Project
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
No Solutions, Just Trade Offs | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Sudden Death of the American Condo | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Urban Economics of Sprawl | Market Urbanism
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary