Urban Economics
Cities are dynamic centers of exchange, innovation, and economic growth, providing the platform where people, ideas, and capital come together. However, the regulations that limit urban development reduce the potential for income mobility and rising standards of living over time. Mercatus research shows how land-use policy reform can reverse the stagnation in our cities and address the systemic problem of housing affordability.
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Latest work in Urban Economics
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Resources for Reformers: Houston’s Minimum Lot Sizes | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Ideas of India: Order Without Design
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why Is It So Hard To Find an Affordable City To Raise a Family? | The New York Times' Twitter Space
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Xiaodi Li, Misunderstood | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Hawaii’s Housing Shortage Explained | ThinkTech Hawaii
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Welcome Michael Nahas | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Zoning Out American Families | Discourse
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Order Without Design / Rethinking the Role of Government in City Development | CID Harvard
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Mostly Invisible: The Cost of Valid Petitions in Texas
Legislators Ought to either Reform the Valid Petition Process To Be Less Onerous and More Democratic or Do Away With It Altogether
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Should Governments Nudge Land Assembly? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Getting to Housing Abundance in the Shadow of History | Discourse
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Your Neighborhood May Be Filled With Apartments One Day. And That’s Ok | The Arizona Republic
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why We Need To Achieve Housing Abundance | Discourse
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Announcements Announcements
Acclaimed urbanist Alain Bertaud joins Mercatus Center’s Urbanity Project
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Policymakers' Role in Protecting the Right to Build Housing in Montana
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Housing Reform in Montana | KBUL-AM’s “Montana Talks”
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Light-Touch Density and New Hampshire’s Role in Zoning
New Hampshire House of Representatives, Municipal and County Government Committee
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Last Utopia: The 15-Minute City | Urban Reform Institute
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Housing Revolution Brewing in 2023 | The Hill
Latest work in Urban Economics
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Resources for Reformers: Houston’s Minimum Lot Sizes | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Ideas of India: Order Without Design
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why Is It So Hard To Find an Affordable City To Raise a Family? | The New York Times' Twitter Space
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Xiaodi Li, Misunderstood | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Hawaii’s Housing Shortage Explained | ThinkTech Hawaii
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Welcome Michael Nahas | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Zoning Out American Families | Discourse
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Order Without Design / Rethinking the Role of Government in City Development | CID Harvard
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Mostly Invisible: The Cost of Valid Petitions in Texas
Legislators Ought to either Reform the Valid Petition Process To Be Less Onerous and More Democratic or Do Away With It Altogether
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Should Governments Nudge Land Assembly? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Getting to Housing Abundance in the Shadow of History | Discourse
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Your Neighborhood May Be Filled With Apartments One Day. And That’s Ok | The Arizona Republic
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why We Need To Achieve Housing Abundance | Discourse
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Announcements Announcements
Acclaimed urbanist Alain Bertaud joins Mercatus Center’s Urbanity Project
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Policymakers' Role in Protecting the Right to Build Housing in Montana
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Housing Reform in Montana | KBUL-AM’s “Montana Talks”
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Light-Touch Density and New Hampshire’s Role in Zoning
New Hampshire House of Representatives, Municipal and County Government Committee
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Last Utopia: The 15-Minute City | Urban Reform Institute
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Housing Revolution Brewing in 2023 | The Hill
Latest work in Urban Economics
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Economic Uncertainty
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Housing Restrictions
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Commuting
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
When the Moratorium Expires: Three Quick Steps to Reduce Eviction
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Research Papers Research Papers
New Urban Econ Research Shows the Macroeconomic Benefits of Big Cities
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Fixing Urban Planning with Ostrom: Strategies for Existing Cities to Adopt Polycentric, Bottom-Up Regulation of Land Use
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Fixing Urban Planning with Ostrom: Strategies for Existing Cities to Adopt Polycentric, Bottom-Up Regulation of Land Use
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
California Can Improve Housing and Transit by Preempting Local Ordinances
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Inclusionary Zoning and Housing Market Outcomes
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Research Papers Research Papers
California Zoning: Housing Construction and a New Ranking of Local Land Use Regulation
Ranking California’s Cities on the Stringency of Land Use Regulation

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Development Dividends: Sharing Equity to Overcome Opposition to Housing
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Do Minimum-Lot-Size Regulations Limit Housing Supply in Texas?
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Link Between Local Zoning Policy and Housing Affordability in America’s Cities
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Housing Supply in the 2010s
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
POLICY SPOTLIGHT: Increasing Access to Quality, Lower-Cost Healthcare in Vermont
A Policy Recommendation
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Books Books
Shut Out
How a Housing Shortage Caused the Great Recession and Crippled Our Economy

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Applying XBRL to US State and Local Government Audited Financial Reports
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Amazon HQ2 Is the Only Competition Where the Losers Are Winners
Why Economic Development Subsidies Hurt More than They Help
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Hemp in the United States
A Case Study of Regulatory Path Dependence
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Does Land Development Pay for Itself?
A Critique of Cost-of-Community-Service Studies
Latest work in Urban Economics
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
Webinar: Fiscal Rankings with Eileen Norcross
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Eileen Norcross Discusses Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition on C-SPAN

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Eileen Norcross on WDAY
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Eileen Norcross on WVLK (Kentucky)
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
Understanding Your State's Fiscal Health

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
The Wrath of CON | How Certificate-Of-Need Laws Affect Access to Health Care

Latest work in Urban Economics
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Expanding Housing Opportunity in an Environment of Exclusionary Regulation
Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Embracing Innovation in Micromobility Transportation
Testimony before the Maryland House Committee on Environment and Transportation
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Colorado Occupational Licensing: Barriers to Opportunity in the Centennial State
Testimony before the Colorado House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Creating the Opportunity for Contestable Advice
Testimony before the Oklahoma State Senate Committee on Rules
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Conditioning HUD Grants on Housing Market Outcomes Furthers Fair Housing
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Failure of Georgia’s Certificate-Of-Need Laws
Testimony before the Georgia House of Representatives Rural Development Council
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Zoning and Land Use Regulations Make Housing Less Affordable
Letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Advancing Evidence-Based Regulation in Colorado
Testimony before the Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Recommendations for Tax Reform in Pennsylvania
Testimony before the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Regulatory Landscape in West Virginia
Testimony before the West Virginia Joint Standing Committee on Government Organization
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Regulatory Landscape in North Carolina
Testimony before the North Carolina Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Improving Legislative Oversight and Achieving Better Regulation in Pennsylvania
Testimony before the Pennsylvania House Committee on State Government

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Regulatory Landscape in Pennsylvania
Testimony before the Pennsylvania House Committee on State Government
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Recommendations for Tax Reform in Alaska
Testimony before Alaska Senate Labor and Commerce Committee
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Considerations for Improved Pension Solvency and Retirement Options in Maryland
Testimony before the Maryland House Appropriations Committee

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Testimony before the Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Recommendations for Tax Reform in Nebraska
Testimony before the Nebraska Revenue Committee

- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Comments regarding Occupational Licensing in North Carolina
Testimony before the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee, Subcommittee on Occupational Licensing Board Oversight
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Fiscal Health Tax Climate and Best Practices for Budgeting
Testimony before the Pennsylvania Senate Finance Committee and Senate State Government Committee
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Testimony on South Carolina's Certificate-of-Need Laws
Testimony before the South Carolina Health Planning Committee, Department of Health & Environmental Control
Latest work in Urban Economics
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Housing Costs in Michigan Are Skyrocketing. Is There Hope on the Horizon? | The Detroit News
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
To Fix Its Housing Crisis, California Must Unleash the Duplex | Bloomberg CityLab
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Four: Removing Parking Requirements in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo illustrates how removing minimum parking requirements can increase housing availability, optimize land use, and make walkable development possible.

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Three: Tysons, Virginia’s Transit-Friendly Development
Fairfax County, VA. policymakers set out to permit more high-rise multifamily housing on what was formerly land zoned only for commercial uses -- and it’s paying off.

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part Two: Portland, Oregon’s Accessory Dwelling Units
Portland, Oregon is an instructive example of how smart reform to accessory dwelling unit construction can increase housing availability, provide greater lifestyle flexibility, and reduce the environmental impact of home construction.

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Light Touch Density: A Series of Policy Briefs on Zoning, Land Use, and a Solution to the Nation’s Housing Shortage
Published by the American Enterprise Institute

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Cities Can Solve Their Office Crisis and Housing Affordability in One Go
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reconciliation Bill’s “Zoning Reform” Provision Is Empty Spending

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Cities Need a Building Boom To Avoid a Housing Bubble
We need to let housing construction be cyclical again and should embrace more lenient urban land use administration. Some cities are considering this now.
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Policymakers Can Improve Housing Affordability
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Sprawl Made Los Angeles’ Pandemic Problem Worse, Not Better
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Bootlegger and Baptist Coalition to Restrict Urban Growth
Moralistic preservationists and environmentalists join hands with financially self-interested property owners.
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Has COVID led to “urban flight?”
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Townscaper: The Anti-SimCity
A new addition to the city-building game genre comes close to capturing how cities emerged for much of human history.
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How a Tysons Task Force Built a Road Map for Redevelopment
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What’s a Stickplex?
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Substantial Park Requirements May Challenge Walkability Goals in Tysons
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Want More Housing? Ending Single-Family Zoning Won’t Do It.
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Fairfax County found a way to upzone in Tysons with minimal roadblocks
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary