The Rent Is Too Damn High

I liked the short punchy chapter length...this is definitely an eBook, readable in little chunks or over a weekend. And the topic is one that resonates and yet is unexplored...who hasn't encountered a weird quirk of zoning or land use regulations in their neighborhood? And yet Yglesias is the first person I've read put a meaningful broad perspective to it. Curiously, it's a perspective that in principle could speak across party lines, but it seems instead more like a voice in the wilderness. I hope his ideas get broader circulation and get people thinking.

It was a great read. I don't care if you are a republican, democrat, or anything in between. I am an economics student at The Ohio State University and this went hand in hand with much of what I have learned. Spend the money and educate yourself.

At explaining a complex topic...I am not sure wholesale density deregulation would be the answer to the problem of high rent...certainly I've watched the density of Berkeley, CA grow dramatically along with traffic congestion and pollution, unfortunately no lower rents...interestingly living in Knoxville, TN I have the lowest rent in my life with the greatest amenities...a combo of sprawl policies and high density housing makes the low rent here possible

This is not a life changing book, but a good read for those interested in new pragmatic thinking on ways to make America better.

The author presents a clear, straightforward look at the ways in which zoning regulations distort the housing market and ties that in to how that distorted housing market ripples across the larger American economy. I also like the fact that he uses the ebook format effectively; freed from the tyranny of page count, he delivers just enough text to lay out and support his argument, without padding or tangents designed to stretch the space out. I look forward to reading more books by Matt in future.

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 not an attack on suburbia or a glossy-eyes tribute to urbanity, but rather an insightful treatise on how zoning restrictions hurt people in almost all sectors of the economy and places in the nation. While Yglesias is a self-identified liberal, libertarians and free-market proponents will recognize the logic in his suggestions. The same is true for those who fear gentrification and new development as a tool for displacing the poor. Yglesias notes that without new development, a newly gentrifying area becomes even more expensive, driving out more lower-income people. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in urban planning, city and suburban economics or just a well-reasoned policy piece.