Initial Thoughts BAE Urban Economics' Analysis of Measure ULA
The analysis has serious flaws, and advocates are drawing sweeping conclusions from narrow findings.
Blog
252 posts, newest first.
Comments in Support of Councilmember Raman's Measure ULA Reform Proposal
Measure ULA needs fixing, and these changes will make a real difference.
A letter to my California state senator in support of SB 79 and AB 647
The state must step in to make multifamily housing legal in more places, and make it faster, simpler, and less expensive to build where multifamily housing is legal.
Why I’m voting against California’s rent control initiative, Proposition 33
Proposition 33 opens the door to abuse and misuse of local rent control policies and permanently ties the hands of our elected representatives, and it does all this so that a small number of cities may expand their rent control policies in ways that will unequivocally worsen the state’s housing affo
What do you think of this "free market" alternative to rent control?
Zoning reforms, including policies intended to produce deed-restricted affordable housing, serve a different purpose than rent control and other tenant protections.
Studies show rent stabilization has mixed/negative effects on housing supply and affordability. Why do you support it?
Rent control isn't a housing affordability policy, it's a peace-of-mind policy.
There's no such thing as a "no growth" community
Every city has one of three futures: A growing housing stock, growing housing prices , or stagnation and decline.
“Why do you spend your time advocating for expensive market-rate housing?”
So many groups and individuals need more people fighting on their behalf — why spend your time advocating for housing that only rich people can afford? Lots of reasons that have nothing to do with making rich people’s lives easier, as it turns out.
Don't expand Fire District 1. Eliminate it.
Expanding Fire District 1 would make it more expensive to build new homes, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and do nothing to improve safety.
Blueprint for building a shared-equity rental market
With government-chartered regional housing cooperatives and access to attractive federal financing, we could transform the rental market to provide renters with greater wealth, stability, and flexibility.
How to build more homes while prioritizing equity in Los Angeles
Upzone the Westside and strengthen tenant protections everywhere.
Why we shouldn't apply "value capture" to parking reform
There’s a debate happening right now over whether to apply “value capture” to a statewide parking reform bill — California State Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s AB 1401 . As someone who supports value capture in the context of upzoning, and advocates strongly for it in my book, The Affordable City ,
What Housing Boom? Housing units built each decade in the city of Los Angeles
LA’s “housing boom” is actually a continuation of three decades of very limited housing production.
A "Rental Pension" Program to Compete with Homeownership
As a wealth-building, publicly-owned housing option, a rental pension program could offer all of the benefits of renting with many of the benefits of homeownership. It could also break the stranglehold that homeowners have on high-demand cities.
Why You Should Vote “Yes” on Proposition 15: Responses to Common Concerns
The costs of Prop 15 will be borne by commercial and industrial property owners, not businesses. It won’t discourage residential development and doesn’t apply to residential properties, including multifamily projects. And it makes future reform more likely, not less.
Why Stability is Essential for Affordable Cities
My new book, The Affordable City , is out on September 15th. This post includes an excerpt from the Stability policies section, making the case for why tenants deserve protection against the whims of the market and individual landlords.
Why Subsidies are Essential for Affordable Cities
My new book, The Affordable City , is out on September 15th. This post includes an excerpt from the Subsidy policies section, exploring the trajectory of federal housing support and the disparity in treatment between renters and homeowners.
Why Supply is Essential for Affordable Cities
My new book, The Affordable City , is out on September 15th. This post includes an excerpt from the Supply policies section, helping illustrate how affordability is influenced by housing abundance or scarcity.
Supply, Stability, and Subsidy are the Foundation of Affordable Cities (Book Release)
My new book, The Affordable City , is out on September 15th. This post includes an excerpt from the introduction, explaining why Supply, Stability, and Subsidy must all be priorities for housing advocates and professionals.
Building a More Equitable California with Transfer Tax Reform
The biggest beneficiaries of Proposition 13 would pay higher transfer taxes when they sold their homes.
The Many Benefits of Mass Timber (White Paper)
Learn more about the cost, schedule, economic, and environmental benefits of mass timber in a white paper I worked on earlier this year, including recommendations for how cities and states can speed its adoption.
I Have a Book Deal! (Please Join My Mailing List)
I’m officially partnering with Island Press on a book about housing affordability and the need to make strong tenant protections, abundant housing supply, and big public subsidies co-equal priorities for advocates and policymakers. Please join my mailing list for updates!
Single-Family Homes Are Luxury Housing
In neighborhoods across the country, it’s single-family homes, not new condos and apartments, that command the highest prices.
What Housing Policies Should Angelenos Be Advocating For, Post-Measure S?
Measure S won't fix the affordable housing crisis. When the vote is over, win or lose, what can we do that will actually move the needle?
Election Update: So Far, People Voting Are Older, Whiter, Wealthier, and More Conservative Than Average LA Resident
About 40% of registered voters in LA receive vote-by-mail ballots, but the people actually returning them are heavily skewed.
Los Angeles Voters, Here Are All the Reasons You Should Be Voting NO on Measure S on March 7th
Bear with me; there are a lot of them.
1,300 More Affordable Homes—Mostly in Downtown LA—That Won't Be Built if Measure S Passes
In just the past three weeks, 1,300 homes for low-income residents and the formerly homeless were proposed in Los Angeles. Measure S would block them all.
Ballot Initiative Voter Guide: City and County of Los Angeles, March 7th, 2017
There's a local election coming up for the City and County of Los Angeles on March 7th, 2017. Here's how you should vote on the 5 ballot measures.
List of Housing Projects That Would Be Banned by Measure S — 19,000 Units And Counting...
At least 19,000 desperately-needed homes, including thousands of affordable units, could not be built if Measure S passes in the March 7th Los Angeles election.
Top 7 Reasons to Oppose Measure S, the Los Angeles "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative"
Measure S is an ego trip masquerading as a social justice crusade. It's the Donald Trump of ballot initiatives, and these are 7 of the most important reasons that Los Angeles can't allow it to pass.
Analysis and Recommendations For the Proposed DTLA 2040 Community Plan Update
Read here for additional details on my DTLA 2040 Community Plan update counter-proposal and argument for more housing downtown.
We Should Demand More Housing and Greater Flexibility From the DTLA 2040 Community Plan Update
The city has put together an early draft of its proposal for the DTLA 2040 Community Plan update. It doesn't go far enough, and I think we can do better.
Two Recent Updates on Housing Progress in Los Angeles
Two recent posts on the Abundant Housing LA blog highlight where we stand on the city's efforts to alleviate the housing shortage.
Los Angeles Builds 10 New Multifamily Homes For Every One It Tears Down
Between 2010 and 2015, Los Angeles built ten new multifamily homes for every one it tore down. But we can do better than that.
Initial Thoughts on Proposed Downtown LA "Parking Podium" Reforms
The City Planning department has some ideas for how to improve parking policy and reduce the prevalence of parking podiums in downtown LA. Here are my thoughts.
2016 Ballot Initiative Voter Guide Cheat-Sheet
A cheat-sheet voting guide for 17 California ballot initiatives, and several more in Los Angeles County, the City of LA, and Santa Monica.
Ballot Initiative Voter Guide: California, LA County, and the Cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica
Analysis and recommendations for all 17 California ballot initiatives, along with some local ones in LA County, the City of Los Angeles, and Santa Monica.
Rent Stability, Part 1: The Limits of Rent Stabilization In Los Angeles
Stabilized rents are not synonymous with affordable rents.
Rent Stability, Part 2: How "Rolling" Rent Stabilization Might Preserve Affordability in LA
Right now rent stabilization applies to multifamily housing built before 1979. Instead, we should consider a "rolling" threshold that includes all buildings over 30 years old.
Look Backward, Not Forward! Downzone Single-Family Neighborhoods!
We've made it illegal to build almost anything but single-family homes and car-oriented strip malls, but why stop there? Begone, suburbs; bring back the orchards.
We Paved Over Farmland to Build the Suburbs; Now Those Neighborhoods Are Off-Limits to Any More Development
" The reason for the history lesson is: We paved over the orchards to make way for the Baby Boomers, and now the Boomers are fighting with Millennials who want to turn one-story strip malls into four-story apartments."
Population Forecasts and Housing Allocations Don't Work; We Should Replace Them With Vacancy Targets
Forecasts rarely pan out, yet they're a foundation of the planning process. Instead, we should plan around something we can measure in real time: vacancy rates.
Hard Work Is Taxed, Passive Accumulation of Housing Wealth Is Not
When you get a raise, a lot of that new income is taxed away. When your home doubles in value, you can pretty much keep it all.
Another Benefit of a Non-Profit Housing Acquisition Program: Tenant Mobility
Along with its many other benefits, a non-profit acquisition-based affordable housing program could also increase tenant mobility.
How a Non-Profit Housing Acquisition Program Could Protect Displaced Residents
A non-profit housing acquisition program could start small, focusing first on residents displaced by Ellis Act evictions, and grow from there after proving its efficacy.
Renter Opposition to New Housing Isn't About Keeping LA Affordable, It's About Self-Preservation (And That's Okay)
Apartment tenants at risk of displacement have good reason to oppose new development. Instead of demonizing them, we should be helping them.
What Will It Take to Get Pro-Housing and Anti-Displacement Advocates on the Same Side?
We share the same goals, but our focuses differ. Can we reconcile our differences and come together?
For the Future of Los Angeles—More Happy Hours, Please!
To all the bureaucrats, advocates, wonks, writers, and politicos working on urban planning issues in Los Angeles, I implore you: Drink more beers together. Wine or cocktails is also acceptable.
Long-Term Planning For the "Great Parks" of the Future
By planning decades into the future, built-out cities can create Central Park-style open spaces at minimum cost and with limited displacement.
No, Developers Are Not Tearing Down Los Angeles to Build Half-Empty Luxury Apartment Buildings
Opposing new development because it requires demolition of some rent-controlled units is shortsighted, and overlooks the many real affordability solutions available to us.
Private Development, Public/Non-Profit Ownership: Recipe For Long-Term Housing Affordability
Using affordable housing funds to acquire existing buildings is less expensive and more sustainable than using them to subsidize new units, and would be accompanied by numerous other benefits to the housing market and low-income residents.
Maybe We Should Re-Frame the California Density Bonus as a "Market-Rate Penalty"
A little bit of behavioral economics might help us get more affordable housing out of the state's density bonus law.
What Does Governor Brown's Proposed Housing Bill Mean For Affordability in California?
Governor Jerry Brown has a new plan to streamline the approval process for multifamily developments that include affordable housing. Here's what the bill actually says.
Keep Los Angeles Affordable by Repealing Proposition U
Proposition U froze our commercial corridors in time and contributed to our affordability crisis. Repealing it may be the best thing we can do to heal the wounds of the past.
Wait, Who's Greedy? Many LA Homes Going Up In Value More Than Average Angeleno's Annual Income
Are greedy developers responsible for Los Angeles' affordable housing crisis? Or greedy, misguided homeowners?
It's the Vacancy Rate, Stupid: Why New Development Has Little to Do With Rising Rents
If housing development is the cause of skyrocketing rents, why are no-growth communities like Venice and Brentwood increasing in value just as quickly as hot markets like downtown and Hollywood?
The Disconnect Between Liberal Aspirations and Liberal Housing Policy is Killing Coastal U.S. Cities
We're pro-environment but anti-density, pro-immigration but anti-migration, and pro-equity but anti-housing. Our ideology is completely detached from our policy outcomes, and its killing our cities.
Top 7 Reasons to Oppose Measure S, the "Los Angeles Neighborhood Integrity Initiative"
The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative is an ego trip masquerading as a social justice crusade. It's the Donald Trump of ballot initiatives, and these are 7 of the most important reasons that Los Angeles can't allow it to pass.
How to Pay For the Los Angeles Homeless Strategy
Eliminating homelessness is an expensive proposition, but we can pay for the great majority of it by simply redirecting money that's already being spent inefficiently on treating homeless individuals on the street.
Mapped: All 200 Square Miles of Parking in LA County, As One Giant Parking Lot
What if you took all 200 square miles of parking in Los Angeles County and turned it into one giant parking lot? This map puts into perspective how much space we waste on car storage in LA, and around the country.
Prop 13, Part 2: How to Fix California's Broken Property Tax Law
Prop 13 is considered the "third rail" of California politics, but that may be changing. Here's one idea for how to shift the politics and fix many of the worst impacts of the law, while still preserving its protections for low-income homeowners.
Prop 13, Part 1: California's Property Tax Law is Completely Broken
Proposition 13 is a citizen's initiative passed in California 1978, and to this day it continues to squeeze the state's housing market and primarily benefit older, whiter, longer-term residents at the expense of everyone else.
San Francisco is Doomed: A Cautionary Tale for Growing U.S. Cities
San Francisco's housing prices have nowhere to go but up. Whether it can stabilize prices or not, it will never again be affordable, and low income residents will continue to leave. Other coastal U.S. cities should take note.
California High Speed Rail Could Earn the State Over $40 Billion in Profit
The official fiscal analysis of California's High Speed Rail program has looked just a few decades into the future to assess its impact, but HSR is a 100-year investment. What do costs and revenues look like in that distant future?
Since 1999, Downtown LA Has Built a Fifth of All Housing In Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles accounts for just 1 percent of the city's geographical area, but 20 percent of its growth over the past 15 years. This is good news for downtown, but bad news for a city that needs more housing everywhere.
Ten Years and $400 Billion in Federal Highway Spending Later, Are We Any Better Off?
We keep throwing money at new roads and highways, and what do we have to show for it? The same amount of driving, the same commute times, and fewer drivers per 1,000 people. It's time to stop throwing good money after bad.
How Car-Free is Your Neighborhood? Every Census Tract in the US, Mapped.
What share of residents in your census tract walk, bike, or take transit to work? I've created maps for every census tract in the U.S. that have the answers.
Vindication! In Seattle, As New Apartments Go Up, Rents Go Down
As myself and others have been arguing for years, the most important way to limit rent increases is to allow enough housing to be built to meet growing demand. Early evidence from Seattle shows that it's working.
Look at the Amount of Space in Seattle Dedicated to Single-Family Housing
This map shows how much of Seattle is dedicated exclusively to single-family housing—and, by omission, how little is actually available for growth. Unfortunately, Seattle is not an outlier.
Planning For Detroit's Next Hundred Years
Shrinking cities like Detroit have an opportunity to try something truly radical in modern America: designate permanently pro-growth districts that can avoid many of the worst aspects of local opposition to development.
Who Cares About Average Rent?
When looking at how housing prices are changing in a growing city, average rents can be misleading—especially you're concerned with pre-existing units.
Many Millennials Will Leave Cities, And That's Okay
Everyone seems to be concerned with Millennials growing up and leaving the city, yet they seem to forget that there's a whole other generation coming up behind them, and its even more anti-car and pro-city.
A Tale of Two Subsidies
In this country we waste upwards of $200 billion a year on subsidies for wealthy people to buy bigger houses and for drivers to destroy our cities and pollute our environment. Are these really the incentives we want to be providing?
Almost All of Los Angeles' Growth Is in Low-car Households
Who knew? Even Los Angeles, despite its reputation, is attracting thousands of car-free and car-lite households.
Freeway expansion doesn't improve freeway traffic, but it does make local traffic worse
When you widen a freeway you may reduce congestion for a few years, until induced demand kicks in and it fills back up. But you can't widen local roads, so they just get worse and worse, degrading quality of life for residents of our urban centers—and all for the sake of suburban commuters.
Bicyclists still don't have their fair share of road space in New York City
New York City is building a lot of bike lanes, and some are complaining that with so few bicycle commuters they're getting more space than they deserve. I look into the numbers and discover that bicyclists are still under-served relative to their share of commuters.
Want housing that doesn't break the bank for lower-income residents? Get rid of some parking.
If we want more affordable housing, one of the quickest and easiest ways to get it is to allow developers to build homes with limited parking—or none at all.
Even with poor infrastructure, rail exceeds air market share in many domestic corridors
The best rail infrastructure in the U.S. is found in the Northeast, and even it still sucks. Despite that, it claims a massive share of trips within the corridor compared to flying, demonstrating the potential benefits of rail investment in other corridors around the country.
Let's get rid of the mortgage interest tax deduction--for everyone
The mortgage interest tax deduction is a giveaway to wealthy households to help them buy bigger housing, and provides almost no benefit to lower and middle income households. We should stop worrying about tinkering around the edges and abolish it altogether.
It's time for Capitol Hill to get its first pedestrian plaza
My first foray into local transportation and placemaking, here I recommend that we close off car access for a section of a popular bar and restaurant corridor in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
