Emily Hamilton
- Senior Research Fellow
Emily Hamilton is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Her research focuses on urban economics and land-use policy. She publishes both academic research and policy work. Her writing has appeared in outlets including the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, and she writes an occasional column at Governing. Hamilton has testified before several state legislatures as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. Hamilton serves on the Advisory Boards of Up for Growth and Cityscape, a journal published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She received her PhD in economics from George Mason University.
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2024
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Four Elements of a Successful Housing Task Force: Lessons from the Montana Miracle
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Housing Deregulation | “The Great Antidote”
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Bipartisan Hope for Affordable Housing Emerges in the West | Governing
- | Housing Housing
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Innovative Approaches to Affordable Housing in Northwest Arkansas | "I am Northwest Arkansas"
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How DC Densified | Works in Progress
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Zoning Policies Intended To Support Agricultural Abundance Are Failing | Farming Abundance
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How ‘Granny Flats’ Can Help Preserve Texas’ Middle Class | The Dallas Morning News
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Options for Pennsylvania to Ease Barriers to Housing Construction
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Allowing Accessory Dwelling Units Would Contribute to Housing Affordability in North Carolina
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2024
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Four Elements of a Successful Housing Task Force: Lessons from the Montana Miracle
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Housing Deregulation | “The Great Antidote”
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Bipartisan Hope for Affordable Housing Emerges in the West | Governing
- | Housing Housing
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Innovative Approaches to Affordable Housing in Northwest Arkansas | "I am Northwest Arkansas"
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How DC Densified | Works in Progress
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Zoning Policies Intended To Support Agricultural Abundance Are Failing | Farming Abundance
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How ‘Granny Flats’ Can Help Preserve Texas’ Middle Class | The Dallas Morning News
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Options for Pennsylvania to Ease Barriers to Housing Construction
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Allowing Accessory Dwelling Units Would Contribute to Housing Affordability in North Carolina
Latest Work
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Book Chapters Book Chapters
Land Use Regulation and Housing Affordability
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Inclusionary Zoning Hurts More Than It Helps
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Pandemic Recovery and State and Local Pension Reform
- | Housing Housing
- | Working Papers Working Papers
The Politics of Redevelopment Planning in Tysons and Outcomes 10 Years Later
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Economic Uncertainty
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Housing Restrictions
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Policies to Help Communities Recover: Commuting
- | Housing Housing
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
California Can Improve Housing and Transit by Preempting Local Ordinances
Latest Work
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Emily Hamilton on the Current State of the U.S. Housing Market and Solutions for Reform
Widespread housing shortfalls and problematic zoning laws are just a few of the issues facing today’s housing market, but there are numerous options for meaningful reform.
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Zoning Our Way Through It | The Weeds Podcast
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Land Use Without Zoning: Putting Ideas into Practice
What can the city of Houston teach us about land use and zoning?
- | Housing Housing
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Emily Hamilton on Political Economy with James Pethokoukis - Fixing America’s Housing Problem
- | Housing Housing
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Emily Hamilton on WHYY - Special Zoning Districts
- | Housing Housing
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Emily Hamilton on C-SPAN - Housing Policy Under Biden (Part 1)
- | Housing Housing
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Emily Hamilton on C-SPAN - Housing Policy Under Biden (Part 2)
- | Housing Housing
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Emily Hamilton on C-SPAN - Housing Policy Under Biden (Part 3)
- | Housing Housing
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Emily Hamilton on C-SPAN - Housing Policy Under Biden (Part 4)
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Policymakers' Role in Protecting the Right to Build Workforce Housing in Texas
Texas House of Representatives Committee on Urban Affairs
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
State Policymakers' Role in Protecting Short-Term Rental Rights in Ohio
Ohio House State and Local Government Committee
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Property Rights Can Protect Attainable Housing in Texas
Texas House of Representatives | Land and Resource Management Committee
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Inclusionary Zoning and Housing Market Outcomes
Testimony before the Cincinnati City Council Equitable Growth and Housing Committee
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Protecting Property Owners and Housing Affordability in Tennessee
Tennessee Senate Committee on Judiciary
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Allowing Accessory Dwelling Units Would Contribute to Housing Affordability in Maryland
Maryland House Environment and Transportation Committee
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Allowing Accessory Dwelling Units Would Contribute to Housing Affordability in Maryland
Maryland Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Housing Affordability in Maine Has Become a Statewide Problem That Demands a Statewide Solution
Maine Joint Committee on Labor and Housing
- | Housing Housing
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Protecting Property Owners and Housing Affordability
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Encouraging Local Governments to Lower Their Barriers to Housing Construction
Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance of the US House Committee on Financial Services Zoned Out: Examining the Impact of Exclusionary Zoning on People, Resources, and Opportunity
Latest Work
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Zoning Out American Families | Discourse
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What Critics of Diversifying Arlington’s Housing get Wrong | The Washington Post
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why Tokyo Works | Discourse
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Colorado Moves the Ball on Housing Affordability Reform—Will Other States Pick It Up?
How the Centennial State’s encouraging new policy works and why other states can build off of it to lower their own housing costs.
- | Housing Housing
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
To Fix Its Housing Crisis, California Must Unleash the Duplex | Bloomberg CityLab
- | Housing Housing
- | 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.
- | Housing Housing
- | 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.
- | Housing Housing
- | 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.
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Case Studies on Smart Zoning Reforms, Part One: Houston, Texas
Houston is an instructive example of how smart reform to land-use regulations can increase housing availability and accommodate regional population and economic growth.
- | Housing Housing
- | 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