Institutional buyers who treat housing as an investment product become disconnected from the impacts of higher rents, displacement, and housing instability.

Writing in Strong Towns, Edward Erfurt argues that the financialization of housing — “a system that increasingly treats homes like stocks” — is a significant component of the current housing crisis.
According to Erfurt, “The U.S. housing market is entangled with the financial system. We have been trained to see rising rents and home values as a sign of economic strength, but when those increases are the result of artificial manipulation rather than organic demand, that “growth” is an illusion.”
Investors who buy housing as a financial product don’t consider the ramifications of higher rents, displacement, and the destabilization of communities. “They are investing in a financial product, not in shelter. Their focus is on whether their fund continues to grow.”
Erfurt notes that our local planning systems perpetuate this behavior with laws and regulations that often favor large-scale developers who can afford to navigate intricate permitting processes. For Erfurt, the solution is a shift in how we treat housing. “It's not a speculative financial instrument but an essential piece of infrastructure for a healthy community. That means supporting policies and reforms that empower small-scale development, remove artificial barriers, and restore competition to local housing markets.”
FULL STORY: The Rent Is Too Damn Artificial

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
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