With housing costs outpacing inflation and income growth, millions of Americans—particularly in marginalized communities—find themselves making extremely difficult financial decisions, often even facing homelessness. This issue has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic, as millions of lower-income Americans lost their livelihoods, and thus, their ability to afford rent or mortgage payments. Chronic homelessness increased by 15% between 2019 and 2020 (National Alliance to End Homelessness). Yet, real estate development is once again breaking records, producing immense profits for developers and financial institutions. Much of the housing affordability crisis is attributed to the state of land use regulations across the country. A complex web of state and local regulations, land use regulations are seen by some scholars and practitioners as an impediment to the development of affordable housing. Others see land use regulations as essential to preserving communities and countering such effects of over-development as gentrification.
Please join our panel of speakers as they discuss the persistent and expanding issue of housing affordability in the United States and present their visions of how this area of law can be reformed to better the lives of millions of struggling people.
The Penn Federalist Society
Adam Gordon, Executive Director, Fair Share Housing Center
Emily Hamilton, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center
Check out our Research Guide on the Philadelphia Housing Crisis