M. Nolan Gray
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Research Director, California YIMBY
Nolan Gray is the research director at California YIMBY. Gray earned a PhD in Urban Planning at University of California, Los Angeles, a Master of City and Regional Planning degree at Rutgers University, and received BAs in philosophy and political science from the University of Kentucky. He was a Research Fellow in the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research focuses on land-use regulation, housing affordability, and urban design. Nolan was a Mercatus Frédéric Bastiat Fellow during the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2020-2021 academic years and a Mercatus Visiting Dissertation Fellow during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Townscaper: The Anti-SimCity
A new addition to the city-building game genre comes close to capturing how cities emerged for much of human history.
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Nuts-and-Bolts Guide to Density People Actually Want
A new book sees the solution to housing shortages in humble "missing middle" forms
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Liberalizing Land Use Regulations: The Case of Houston

- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Subdividing the Unzoned City
An Analysis of the Causes and Effects of Houston’s 1998 Subdivision Reform
- | 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
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Bicycles Are Coming. Will Cities Be Ready?
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Postal Service's Untapped Real Estate Fortune
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Townscaper: The Anti-SimCity
A new addition to the city-building game genre comes close to capturing how cities emerged for much of human history.
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Nuts-and-Bolts Guide to Density People Actually Want
A new book sees the solution to housing shortages in humble "missing middle" forms
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Liberalizing Land Use Regulations: The Case of Houston

- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Subdividing the Unzoned City
An Analysis of the Causes and Effects of Houston’s 1998 Subdivision Reform
- | 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
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Bicycles Are Coming. Will Cities Be Ready?
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Postal Service's Untapped Real Estate Fortune
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The NIMBYs of the Coronavirus Crisis
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Do Minimum Lot Sizes in Suburbs Contribute to Texas Sprawl?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why You Can’t Find the Perfect Home
Regulation versus Variety
