by 
I’ve
had
my
differences
with
the
YIMBY
(Yes
In
My
Back
Yard)
movement.
Over
the
years
I’ve
written
multiple
pieces
raising
a
position
on
zoning
reform
that
rarely
gets
discussed
–
upzoning
can
open
up
the
floodgates
for
new
housing
in
cities
that
don’t
need
new
housing
in
the
way
that
overpriced
coastal
cities
do,
and
disrupt
a
fragile
housing
market
equilibrium
in
slow-growth,
less
expensive
cities
like
those
in
the
Midwest.
In
fact,
I
raise
the
counterintuitive
argument
that
zoning
reform
in
slow-growth
metros
can
potentially
lead
to
higher
prices
and
rents,
as
developers
seize
on
the
opportunity
to
appeal
to
the
most
affluent
buyers
and
renters.
Just
prior
to
moving
the
Corner
Side
Yard
to
Substack
last
April,
I
wrote
a
five
part
series
offering
dissents
to
the
YIMBY
movement:
Rethinking
the
Affordable
Housing
Crisis,
Part
1
Rethinking
the
Affordable
Housing
Crisis,
Part
2
Rethinking
the
Affordable
Housing
Crisis,
Part
3
The
series
probably
didn’t
get
the
attention
it
deserved
because
it
straddled
the
old
platform
and
Substack,
and
my
following
isn’t
necessarily
the
same
as
it
was.
Still,
I
encourage
you
to
read
it.
However,
if
you
don’t
read
it,
here’s
a
very
brief
summary.
In
my
view,
there
are
six
conventional
explanations
for
our
housing
affordability
crisis:
-
The
post-Great
Recession
collapse
in
housing
production; -
Zoning,
specifically
widespread
single-family
zoning; -
High
interest
rates,
low
inventory; -
Excessive
government
regulation,
raising
the
cost
of
housing
production; -
Household
incomes
haven’t
kept
up
with
housing
costs;
and -
A
reliance
on
“filtering”
tcreate
affordable
housing.
These
are
indeed
explanations
that
drive
the
efforts
of
YIMBYs.
But
I’d
argue
there
six
less-considered,
yet
equally
important
explanations
as
well:
-
The
dramatic
decrease
in
average
household
size
in
the
last
60
years; -
The
reluctance
of
banks
tmove
on
from
their
financial
models
that
favored
single-family
home
development; -
General
aversion
tsubsidized
housing; -
General
aversion
tthe
displacement
caused
by
gentrification;
and -
A
growing
sense
that
younger,
urban-oriented
people
“want
what
we
want,
where
we
want
it,”;
and -
Geography.
There
simply
are
physical
limits
to
construction
in
some
metros,
and
they’re
costly
to
overcome.
I
also
referred
to
three
socio-cultural
causes
for
the
housing
crisis:
-
Housing
exuberance,
when
property
owners
have
expectations
of
higher
prices
and
rents
even
before
new
development
increases
demand; -
Segregation,
in
the
sense
that
it
drives
down
demand
in
portions
of
a
metro
area
while
driving
up
demand
in
others,
pushing
up
costs;
and -
Inventory
mismatch,
with
a
greater
demand
for
a
development
type
(often
pre-WWII
style
development)
that’s
declining
in
inventory.
I
concluded
the
last
entry
in
the
series
with
a
comparison
between
Los
Angeles
County
and
Cook
County,
the
home
counties
of
Los
Angeles
and
Chicago,
respectively.
Read
the
rest
of
this
piece
at
The
Corner
Side
Yard.
Pete
Saunders
is
a
writer
and
researcher
whose
work
focuses
on
urbanism
and
public
policy.
Pete
has
been
the
editor/publisher
of
the
Corner
Side
Yard,
an
urbanist
blog,
since
2012.
Pete
is
also
an
urban
affairs
contributor
to
Forbes
Magazine’s
online
platform.
Pete’s
writings
have
been
published
widely
in
traditional
and
internet
media
outlets,
including
the
feature
article
in
the
December
2018
issue
of
Planning
Magazine.
Pete
has
more
than
twenty
years’
experience
in
planning,
economic
development,
and
community
development,
with
stops
in
the
public,
private
and
non-profit
sectors.
He
lives
in
Chicago.
Photo:
A
street
view
looking
south
of
the
intersection
of
68th
and
Emerald
Avenue
in
Chicago’s
Englewood
neighborhood.
Source:
google.com.
Go to Source
Author: Pete Saunders
