Salim Furth
- Senior Research Fellow
Salim Furth is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research focuses on housing production and land use regulation and has been published in Housing Policy Debate, Critical Housing Analysis, and the IZA Journal of Labor Policy. He has testified before several state legislatures as well as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He frequently advises local government officials on zoning reform and housing affordability.
Furth's writing has appeared in National Affairs, American Affairs, The City, Public Discourse, and numerous newspapers. He previously worked at the Heritage Foundation, at Amherst College, and as a contractor to HUD. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester.
Featured Research
"Single-Family Zoning and Race: Evidence From the Twin Cities." Published in Housing Policy Debate.
"California Zoning: Housing Construction and a New Ranking of Local Land Use Regulation." (Salim Furth & Olivia Gonzalez)
Latest Work
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Pedestrianized Streets Usually Fail – and That’s Ok | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2024
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Gentrification: An LVT Would Do That | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Will Congestion Pricing Hurt Cities? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Breaking Ground: An Examination of Effective State Housing Reforms in 2023
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rhode Island’s housing process package | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What’s Scott Alexander Asking, Anyway? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Valid Petitions and Limited Government in Texas
Latest Work
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Pedestrianized Streets Usually Fail – and That’s Ok | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2024
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Gentrification: An LVT Would Do That | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Will Congestion Pricing Hurt Cities? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Breaking Ground: An Examination of Effective State Housing Reforms in 2023
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rhode Island’s housing process package | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What’s Scott Alexander Asking, Anyway? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Valid Petitions and Limited Government in Texas
Latest Work
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2024
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Breaking Ground: An Examination of Effective State Housing Reforms in 2023
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Single-Family Zoning and Race: Evidence From the Twin Cities | Housing Policy Debate
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Mostly Invisible: The Cost of Valid Petitions in Texas
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Single-Family Zoning and Race: Evidence from the Twin Cities
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
New Research Shows How Zoning Slows Racial Integration
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Build-to-Rent Housing Bans: A Case of Zoning Overreach
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
How One City Embraced Zoning Reform for Economic Growth and Community Preservation
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2023
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulating without Zoning in Maine Towns
Latest Work
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Will the White House Housing Supply Action Plan Fix the Housing Crisis?

- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Biden Administration Creates Plan to Increase Affordable Housing | Marketplace Radio
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Metro Crisis | WFED Radio (DC)
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DC Metro’s Derailment | WTOP-FM
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Eviction Moratorium Lifted | WBAL Radio (Baltimore, MD)
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Housing Announcement | The Lars Larson Radio Show
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
How Impactful Will California’s SB9 Be? | Marketplace Radio
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Salim Furth on Morning Briefing - Eviction Moratorium
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Salim Furth on The Lars Larson Show - Eviction Moratorium
Latest Work
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Valid Petitions and Limited Government in Texas
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Light-Touch Density and New Hampshire’s Role in Zoning
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Property Rights Can Protect Attainable Housing in Texas
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Implementing Massachusetts's Ambitious Zoning Law
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Logic of Preemption in Connecticut
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
The Geography of the Housing Crisis, or How Not to Repeat the Mistakes of 2007
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Rights, Responsibilities, and Preemption in Minnesota
Latest Work
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Pedestrianized Streets Usually Fail – and That’s Ok | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Gentrification: An LVT Would Do That | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Will Congestion Pricing Hurt Cities? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rhode Island’s housing process package | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What’s Scott Alexander Asking, Anyway? | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Rent Regulation in MoCo | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
To Aid Renters, Ease Up on Investors, Landlords | Star Tribune (MN)
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Book Review: HIAHP | Market Urbanism
- | Urban Economics Urban Economics
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary