housing policy

Bilingual

Reading List 06/20/26
6 days ago
- The US House and Senate reached a deal on the combined ROAD to Housing Act, eliminating burdensome build-to-rent provisions.
- Housing developments with grocery anchors like Costco or Safeway may face less NIMBY opposition due to trusted retailer co-sponsorship.
- The Squamish Nation in Canada built the massive Senakw housing project on restored land, free from Vancouver's restrictive planning rules, expected to generate C$10 billion.
- Phoenix Semiconductor is recreating obsolete microchips for long-life military equipment like F/A-18 Super Hornet jets.
more...
New US homeownership measure puts people first
13 days ago
- The commonly cited U.S. homeownership rate of 65% is actually the owner-occupancy rate, which measures housing units occupied by owners, not individuals.
- A new measure, the Homeowners-to-Population Ratio (HPOP), calculates the share of adults who own their home, yielding a rate of 53% for the U.S.
- HPOP accounts for all adults, including those living in group quarters (e.g., dorms, nursing homes) and co-residents who are not owners, providing a more accurate picture.
- Using HPOP, homeownership among adults under 35 is 22% compared to 37% under the owner-occupancy rate, highlighting how young adults are often misrepresented.
more...
The American suburbs are better than you think
20 days ago
- The author, who prefers dense urban living, acknowledges that American suburbs have advantages that appeal to many people.
- Suburbs do not necessarily force long commutes; Americans have relatively short commutes due to polycentric urban layouts and faster car travel compared to public transit.
- Research indicates suburbs are not lonelier than cities; social connections often form through repeated interactions with known people, facilitated by larger homes and cars.
- Millennials and families are increasingly moving to suburbs, partly due to high urban rents but also because suburbs offer better conditions for raising children, such as more space and convenience.
more...
Profiling the "Abundance" housing bottleneck with real data
21 days ago
- The article discusses 'chosen scarcity' or 'unaddressed technical debt' as a key barrier to societal progress, using housing as a primary example.
- Data shows Austin, which streamlined regulations, permits 8 times more housing per capita than San Francisco, illustrating the impact of reducing 'valves' or bottlenecks.
- Vienna's housing market contrasts with London's; despite similar building rates, Vienna's rents are much lower due to a large public/nonprofit housing sector, not just regulatory efficiency.
- The author emphasizes profiling and validating claims with rough data checks before accepting them, highlighting the importance of empirical verification over compelling narratives.

housing policy

Reading List 06/20/26

New US homeownership measure puts people first

The American suburbs are better than you think

Profiling the "Abundance" housing bottleneck with real data