Housing
Blog
Read about latest push for rent control
Seattle rejects rent control in win for sound economics
It’s always a breath of fresh air when elected officials have a grasp on basic economics. On August 1, the Seattle City Council voted 6-to-2 to reject a rent control proposal from termed-out Socialist Alternative Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Sawant proposed a rent control trigger law that would impose a strict, ...
Blog
America’s future cities: A case for decentralization
America’s future cities: A case for decentralization As the virulence of the COVID pandemic subsided in 2020, a new phrase, “urban doom loop,” became a common way to describe the failure of America’s downtowns to recover economically. The concept is simple enough. As occupancy in downtown buildings declines, businesses that ...
Free Cities
Watch latest Free Cities video
Watch: Tour a public-private partnership that is transforming Sacramento
Todd Leon, Development Director of the Capital Area Development Authority, takes Steven Greenhut of PRI’s Free Cities Center on a tour of Sacramento’s R Street Corridor. Learn how a public-private partnership is transforming what was once an industrial hotbed for the railroads into a model mixed-use neighborhood.
Blog
Truly free market would turn empty offices in new housing
Truly free market would turn empty offices in new housing By Kerry Jackson | August 10, 2023 What if the housing market were truly a free market, liberated of zoning laws, rent control, “tenant-protection” carve-outs, energy mandates, tax policy, unnecessary permitting and will-never-be-approved environmental reviews? One economist reckons that “skyscrapers ...
Blog
Read latest from Free Cities Center
Why do politicians hate planned communities?
Planned communities simply are centrally planned, residential communities that are built from scratch and filled with amenities designed specifically for residents. They are usually built by private developers – and tend to be less costly to build than multi-family properties within the urban footprint. Many feature significant amounts of infrastructure ...
Blog
Read about new legislative caucus
‘End Poverty in California’ Caucus Poised to Worsen State’s Poverty Problem
You may have missed it, but a new legislative caucus has just been announced to address California’s status as the worst-in-the-nation state for poverty. With visions of Upton Sinclair dancing in their heads, the “End Poverty in California” legislative caucus is the brainchild of former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. It ...
Blog
Read latest on state's housing crisis
‘Inclusionary zoning’ will only exacerbate the housing crisis
San Francisco’s inclusionary zoning laws require that when proposing residential developments of 10 or more units, developers must take at least one from a handful of actions to create housing for lower-income families, including setting aside a percentage of units to be sold or rented at below market rate (either ...
Blog
Southwest cities can continue freeing their housing markets through deregulation
This piece continues a two-part series review of the housing landscape in southwest cities. Part one linked here takes a look at the housing landscape in the states of Arizona and Colorado. Part two below looks to New Mexico and Utah, followed by the review’s conclusion. New Mexico In New ...
Blog
Southwest cities slowly freeing their housing markets
The southwest has not been immune to the “housing crisis” frequently talked about in more densely populated coastal states like California. Rising housing costs, which can put considerable strain on middle-class and lower-income individuals and families, have been aggravated and amplified by government policies constraining the ability of homebuilders to ...
Blog
Learn About "15-Minute" Cities
Trendy ‘15-minute cities’ get their 15 minutes of fame
But that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily as charming and practical as their devotees portray them to be. “A 15-minute city,” explains the National League of Cities, “enables residents to access most daily amenities within a 15- to 20-minute walk, bike or other mode of transportation from any point in a ...
Read about latest push for rent control
Seattle rejects rent control in win for sound economics
It’s always a breath of fresh air when elected officials have a grasp on basic economics. On August 1, the Seattle City Council voted 6-to-2 to reject a rent control proposal from termed-out Socialist Alternative Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Sawant proposed a rent control trigger law that would impose a strict, ...
America’s future cities: A case for decentralization
America’s future cities: A case for decentralization As the virulence of the COVID pandemic subsided in 2020, a new phrase, “urban doom loop,” became a common way to describe the failure of America’s downtowns to recover economically. The concept is simple enough. As occupancy in downtown buildings declines, businesses that ...
Watch latest Free Cities video
Watch: Tour a public-private partnership that is transforming Sacramento
Todd Leon, Development Director of the Capital Area Development Authority, takes Steven Greenhut of PRI’s Free Cities Center on a tour of Sacramento’s R Street Corridor. Learn how a public-private partnership is transforming what was once an industrial hotbed for the railroads into a model mixed-use neighborhood.
Truly free market would turn empty offices in new housing
Truly free market would turn empty offices in new housing By Kerry Jackson | August 10, 2023 What if the housing market were truly a free market, liberated of zoning laws, rent control, “tenant-protection” carve-outs, energy mandates, tax policy, unnecessary permitting and will-never-be-approved environmental reviews? One economist reckons that “skyscrapers ...
Read latest from Free Cities Center
Why do politicians hate planned communities?
Planned communities simply are centrally planned, residential communities that are built from scratch and filled with amenities designed specifically for residents. They are usually built by private developers – and tend to be less costly to build than multi-family properties within the urban footprint. Many feature significant amounts of infrastructure ...
Read about new legislative caucus
‘End Poverty in California’ Caucus Poised to Worsen State’s Poverty Problem
You may have missed it, but a new legislative caucus has just been announced to address California’s status as the worst-in-the-nation state for poverty. With visions of Upton Sinclair dancing in their heads, the “End Poverty in California” legislative caucus is the brainchild of former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. It ...
Read latest on state's housing crisis
‘Inclusionary zoning’ will only exacerbate the housing crisis
San Francisco’s inclusionary zoning laws require that when proposing residential developments of 10 or more units, developers must take at least one from a handful of actions to create housing for lower-income families, including setting aside a percentage of units to be sold or rented at below market rate (either ...
Southwest cities can continue freeing their housing markets through deregulation
This piece continues a two-part series review of the housing landscape in southwest cities. Part one linked here takes a look at the housing landscape in the states of Arizona and Colorado. Part two below looks to New Mexico and Utah, followed by the review’s conclusion. New Mexico In New ...
Southwest cities slowly freeing their housing markets
The southwest has not been immune to the “housing crisis” frequently talked about in more densely populated coastal states like California. Rising housing costs, which can put considerable strain on middle-class and lower-income individuals and families, have been aggravated and amplified by government policies constraining the ability of homebuilders to ...
Learn About "15-Minute" Cities
Trendy ‘15-minute cities’ get their 15 minutes of fame
But that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily as charming and practical as their devotees portray them to be. “A 15-minute city,” explains the National League of Cities, “enables residents to access most daily amenities within a 15- to 20-minute walk, bike or other mode of transportation from any point in a ...
