The Rent Is Too Damn High
What To Do About It, And Why It Matters More Than You Think
-
-
4.4 • 90 Ratings
-
-
- $1.99
-
- $1.99
Publisher Description
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 beyond personal financial strain. High rent drags on our country’s overall rate of economic growth, damages the environment, and promotes long commutes, traffic jams, misery, and smog. Yet instead of a serious focus on the issue, America’s cities feature niche conversations about the availability of “affordable housing” for poor people. Yglesias’s book changes the conversation for the first time, presenting newfound context for the issue and real-time, practical solutions for the problem.
Customer Reviews
Great
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.
Exceptionally good argument from left and right about housing
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.
Convenient length, interesting topic
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.