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The Rent Is Too Damn High
From prominent political thinker and widely followed Slate columnist, a polemic on high rents and housing costs—and how these costs are hollowing out communities, thwarting economic development, and rendering personal success and fulfillment increasingly difficult to achieve.
Rent is an issue that affects nearly everyone. High rent is a problem for all of us, extending beyo...more
Rent is an issue that affects nearly everyone. High rent is a problem for all of us, extending beyo...more
ebook, 80 pages
Published
March 5th 2012
by Simon & Schuster
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A fast, interesting read. One point Yglesias makes that I'd never considered: your primary home is not an investment. If its value goes up, great. You have more money on paper. But unless you plan to move onto the street or live out of your car, you won't realize those gains. At most you'll move to another house, which is also likely to have appreciated in value. The only way you come out ahead is if your property appreciates more than average, which there is no reason to expect.
Having read this...more
Having read this...more
Yglesias makes a convincing argument for a surprising cause of US's worsening economic inequality : Pervasive low-density residential zoning.
The US economy is built out of a relatively small number of skilled workers and capitalists earning lots of money, with the rest of the employment in services supporting them (and in services supporting the people supporting them, and so forth.) High density living is prohibited by law in most of the country, so the people working in those support jobs can’...more
The US economy is built out of a relatively small number of skilled workers and capitalists earning lots of money, with the rest of the employment in services supporting them (and in services supporting the people supporting them, and so forth.) High density living is prohibited by law in most of the country, so the people working in those support jobs can’...more
1 like · like · see review
Mar 05, 2012
London
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Urban planners, public policy fans, anti-poverty activists, libertarians, free-marketers
Shelves:
non-fiction,
policy
As a dedicated urbanist, I've thought about many of the issues Yglesias covers, yet he digs out so many unexpected observations in 80 pages that I felt I hadn't even started to think or read about the topic.
After discussing the many ways in which zoning restrictions (including things that aren't usually considered zoning, like parking requirement) not only inhibit people from living where they want, but force them to move to "cheaper" cities where they, on average, will earn less money.
This is...more
After discussing the many ways in which zoning restrictions (including things that aren't usually considered zoning, like parking requirement) not only inhibit people from living where they want, but force them to move to "cheaper" cities where they, on average, will earn less money.
This is...more
This book is a fairly short (less than 70 pages) claim for the easing of building codes in America's urban spaces. The author is known primarily for being a neo-Liberal thinker and writer (he works for a left-wing think tank), but he argument her relies on standard economic rules of supply and demand to solve the problem of rents in desirable urban living spaces being too high for many people to afford. His prescription of a solution is pretty straight-forward: build more housing units in the de...more
Matt Yglesias is a young journalist, formerly with The Center for American Progress, who is now writing on the economy for Slate magazine. Anyone who has followed his recent reporting or Twitter feed is aware that one recent focus of his work has been the supply-limiting effects of needless regulation, and particularly building and zoning codes. Now, taking his lead from Jimmy McMillan, the recent joke candidate for New York Governor on "The Rent Is Too Damn High" ticket, Yglesias lays out his a...more
Apr 07, 2012
Rob Mentzer
added it
Short, which is nice. More books should be short like this. You get to the end of the chapter and you're like, oh, great, that chapter is done. Substance? Well it is a good analytic argument in favor of urban density or more specifically against zoning regulations that limit urban density. I guess the argument is correct and it is certainly not an area of public policy that many people think much about which makes it worthwhile. I live in a small city so I wondered how the basic framework might...more
A short (< 100 pages) description of housing problems in America and a libertarian argument about what to do about it. A couple of years ago, this would be released with a two-word title and an all-white cover and would be twice as long.
The book argues that misguided rent control laws and zoning restrictions are a big part of the problem. The well-disciplined conservative movement in this country should be able to change that but public policy and public preferences favor a fetish for suburb...more
The book argues that misguided rent control laws and zoning restrictions are a big part of the problem. The well-disciplined conservative movement in this country should be able to change that but public policy and public preferences favor a fetish for suburb...more
It's nice to read a liberal blogger who recognizes that rent controls and zoning restrictions reduce the standards of living for the poor and middle class, but at times the book seemed a little too conclusory, just repeating this message over and over again.
I loved his idea that zoning restrictions on buildings' heights and occupancies actually help create the sprawl that progressives are so against: neighborhoods that are in desirable locations close to city centers that would otherwise be pop...more
I loved his idea that zoning restrictions on buildings' heights and occupancies actually help create the sprawl that progressives are so against: neighborhoods that are in desirable locations close to city centers that would otherwise be pop...more
A pretty solid Kindle single. I would recommend it for anyone interested in urban planning, especially for any transit nuts out there. Building more density is a key component in improving transit quality, especially on the west coast. Yglesias lays out a clear case against not just zoning restrictions, but also rent control and other mechanisms that interfere with providing great quantities of dense livable urban spaces. The American left is often uncomfortable with using free market libertari...more
Really great. I'm a huge fan of Yglesias's writing in general, and I think he here outlines his arguments about growth in a clear and persuasive way. It's not that everyone needs to live in enormous apartment skyscrapers, it's just that existing residents of a neighborhood should not be able to make denser living impossible -- if they are able to block development, there are benefits to those residents (though also higher rents) but also costs for society as a whole, as I think Yglesias effectiv...more
This short e-book did a great job bringing together some of the development issues that prevent cities from building housing efficiently. NIMBYism, zoning, parking requirements all slow down growth in city housing and thus inflate the costs of living in a city. His thesis is that cities are more productive places to live so the US would be better off economically if more people lived in them versus following cheap housing opportunities which usually are in less productive places.
He touches on a...more
He touches on a...more
This is a very interesting topic that doesn't gets much coverage. The arguments and examples are good and this seems like something that could be genuinely bipartisan. Unfortunately I worry that it is bipartisan in the sense that redistricting is (as in bipartisan agreement to ignore it). I think Yglaesis really underestimates the political power of the NIMBYS. The solutions he lays out may fit well with different parts of both parties ideologies but pandering to your current electorate will alw...more
A short book (or extended essay) about the virtues of density in our cities. In short, density is better for consumers, employers, the environment, public spaces and just about everything else in Yglesias' opinion. I agree with him and found his arguments logical and persuasive. He advocates simplification or elimination of zoning, no minimum parking requirements, much more judicious use of historic building statutes to reduce or eliminate the hurdles that prevent development in city centers and...more
Yglesias is one of the most lucid policy writers out there. The argument of this book won't be new to anyone who's read his blog, but it's a concise and approachable overview of an important problem.
Part of the reason it's so approachable is that it doesn't prescribe many detailed solutions, because land use is generally a local issue. But if it can just shift the anti-development bias among both liberals (with its arguments about equality) and conservatives (with its arguments about deregulatio...more
Part of the reason it's so approachable is that it doesn't prescribe many detailed solutions, because land use is generally a local issue. But if it can just shift the anti-development bias among both liberals (with its arguments about equality) and conservatives (with its arguments about deregulatio...more
Persuasive and to the point, Yglesias does an excellent job of arguing against "Big Zoning." Slightly awkward length--book probably could have actually benefited from some "padding" to provide some context for how the status quo came to be and some thoughts about a path forward (eg, what cities have revitalized themselves by rethinking embedded zoning assumptions, and what got them to that point? what political factors stand in the way of rational laws?), but on its own terms and at its length,...more
If there is any chance of a Progressive-Libertarian fusionism, Matt Yglesias will be its (Progressive) standard-bearer. Imagine an entire book, written by a self-proclaimed leftist, extolling the virtues of urban life, with nary a syllable devoted to using the government to prod people into living life his way? No grand plans. No haughty insults denigrating those who make different lifestyle choices (the wrong "different" lifestyle choices). Just a tightly argued, sensible, thoughtful public pol...more
I read this on econ professor and blogger Tyler Cowen's recommendation. It's an interesting and persuasive argument for less regulation around the density and height of residential construction. It also makes the argument against parking space minimums, but not as extensively as even Yglesias's own blogging. I guess an 80-page ebook just didn't have room. One fun exercise is to read the book, then go look at the reviews and laugh at the people going on and on about a book they haven't read.
A strong (and concise) argument for land deregulation to allow denser residential development in valuable urban centers. It's startling how byzantine zoning rules are but heartening that we could do so much good for the environment, economy, and quality of life by reforming them. "The country, for all its challenges, has massive untapped potential locked within its citizens and its prosperous cities. All we need to do to unlock it is to let people do what they already want to do: build more hous...more
Smart summation of an issue that more people ought to think about. If you follow Yglesias' work much of this will be familiar to you, but he makes good on his promise to use the ebook format to deliver clarity, pithiness, and avoid wasting the reader's time. I hope we see more books like this one.
A short primer on why housing policy in this country is so stupid. Significant amounts of the material are addressed in his blog, but the full synthesis is elucidating nonetheless. You will leave infuriated at the inanity of our current policy, and convinced that it needs to change.
I was initially afraid this book would make the same arguments as Edward Glaeser's "Triumph of the City," but this fear was unfounded. It's a fresh look at the consequences of anti-urban policy, and one that anyone interested in the economic state of the US should be aware of.
Concise singlet advocating for relaxed zoning regulations in high-demand urban areas. Basically, taller buildings = increased housing supply = lower rents = more people enjoying the benefits of city living. I'm sold.
Another example of what happens when you don't right the review right after reading the book.
Clocking in at less than 70 pages, this is really more of an extended essay than a book. It focuses on well intentioned public policies drive high rents and sprawl. Although there are few solutions proposed, it is a good read for both conservatives and liberals because neither comes away unscathed.
Clocking in at less than 70 pages, this is really more of an extended essay than a book. It focuses on well intentioned public policies drive high rents and sprawl. Although there are few solutions proposed, it is a good read for both conservatives and liberals because neither comes away unscathed.
Concise and persuasive as how anti-density regulations are hurting our cities and the nation. Matthew Yglesias is a very smart, is very good at explaining complex issues, and his writing style is very sharp.
I might not be the target audience of this but I found it incredibly readable, sensible, and exactly the kind of thing that's needed to make the debate on housing economics more focused on the big issues of how we live.
Really enjoyable, good distillation of complex ideas and concepts in a way that's easy to understand and feels wonky without being burdensome. It's a quick read and worth checking out.
An important book, on an underappreciated problem. Whether you care about affordable housing, or the dangers of excessive regulation, it's hard to disagree that the Rent is Too Damned High.
Worthy topic, sensibly summarised. This could have been a good magazine article, or a treatise with more data and detail. The length is not quite satisfying.
Sick today so I downloaded it and had a chance to read it. It was pretty insightful. Never read something like this before.
A concise book about a specific topic--rent. The author clearly and persuasively lays out his argument. While I don't agree with everything as written, his work surely starts a debate about a very important and under discussed topic.
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May 13, 2013 07:29am