One expert's take on the housing crisis and which policy solutions might best counter it.
Matthew Iglesias interviews Brookings fellow Jenny Schuetz, exploring her recent research into housing stress across the country. Iglesias outlines seven key takeaways. In a nutshell, they are the following:
- There are two housing crises, not one: a nationwide crisis for low-income households and "another that affects a larger share of households in a minority of markets." That is, expensive urban markets.
- Housing assistance for low-income families should be an entitlement.
- Housing assistance shouldn't be wedded to local costs.
- Expensive urban markets have a supply problem that housing assistance cannot solve.
- Despite some downtown "construction booms," most urban land is consigned to low-density uses with little to no ongoing construction.
- The most expensive markets would be the best places for new construction, but that would require intervention from state governments.
- Federal policymakers need to look beyond HUD funds and use transportation money as a lever instead.
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