Key Facts
Making Housing Expensive
Governments impose bureaucratic hurdles like environmental impact reports or deny building permits outright. They claim these policies protect the public and the environment, but more often they are intended to help current homeowners who benefit from rising prices.
Rhetoric or Results?
Some think the answer is to force builders to erect “affordable housing” specifically for low-income people. But that makes building less profitable, meaning fewer homes are built, raising prices.
The Solution
Some states are enacting laws that limit local building restrictions. Moving these decisions from local governments to state capitals reduces the power of homeowners and gives non-homeowners more say in how their communities will look.