Breaking down a century of housing mistakes: A nine-part op-ed series
America’s housing crisis didn’t happen overnight. It is the result of over a century of policies that have made homes unaffordable and pushed thousands into homelessness. In his book Nowhere to Live – The Hidden Story of America’s Housing Crisis, James Burling examines how zoning laws, rent control, NIMBYism, and misused eminent domain created today’s shortage.
To make the key lessons of his book more accessible, Burling wrote a nine-part op-ed series, published by the Southern California News Group and appearing in outlets such as The Orange County Register and The San Diego Union-Tribune. Each piece explores a crucial aspect of the housing crisis and suggests potential solutions.
Read the full series below to understand how these policies created today’s problems—and what it will take to fix them.
Request your free copy of Nowhere to Live – The Hidden Story of America’s Housing Crisis below, and keep an eye out for more updates on our efforts to secure the right to build:
The series:
Nowhere to live? No hiding from bad government policies
Decades of bad policies have made housing unaffordable; restoring property rights could help.
America’s first zoning law was about race
Early zoning laws enforced racial segregation, and later rules kept out poor and working-class families.
The roots of today’s housing crisis lie in a 1926 Supreme Court ruling
The Euclid decision let cities segregate neighborhoods by land use, shutting out working-class and minority families.
Bulldozed: How eminent domain erased working-class neighborhoods
Eminent domain and urban renewal displaced minority and working-class communities, often for private projects, with promised housing never delivered.
How urban renewal schemes destroyed working-class neighborhoods
Redevelopment seized poor neighborhoods under the guise of “blight,” uprooting families, shrinking affordable housing, and fueling today’s crisis.
How environmental laws are killing America’s housing supply
Environmental regulations and lawsuits have blocked homebuilding, raising costs and limiting affordable housing, leaving families out in the cold.
Rent control makes California’s housing crisis worse
Rent control discourages new construction, reduces the availability of housing, and raises prices elsewhere—building more homes is the real solution.
Stop the permit extortion: How hidden fees make housing unaffordable
Excessive permit fees drive up housing costs and shut out middle-income buyers; Supreme Court rulings confirm these fees can violate property rights.
From hospitals to homelessness: America’s half-century mistake
Closing psychiatric hospitals without alternatives left thousands on the streets or in jail, creating a long-term homelessness crisis.
Understanding the roots of the crisis is the first step toward addressing and resolving it. Real reform starts with protecting the right to build—because when property owners are free to create more homes, communities can finally begin to meet the nation’s growing housing needs. Learn more about PLF’s work to protect the right to build.
