Web Version: [link removed]
----------------------------------------










[link removed]


[link removed]

Why is housing so expensive? Because we made it that way.

High housing costs aren’t a law of nature, they’re the result of choices. Policy choices about zoning, parking mandates, minimum lot sizes, and endless procedural and regulatory hurdles that block new homes from being built. The good news? States are starting to show what it looks like to break free of those constraints.


Mercatus urban economists Salim Furth, Emily Hamilton, and Charles Gardner lay out a
[link removed]
practical menu of reforms that state lawmakers can adopt in 2026 . Some are simple but powerful: permitting accessory dwelling units, capping minimum lot sizes, and letting residential development happen in commercial zones. Others target legal bottlenecks, such as protest petitions and lawsuits designed to stop projects before they start. Together, the suggested reforms add up to a blueprint for tackling the affordability crisis at its root: supply.


This past year Texas and Wisconsin already demonstrated what’s possible by rolling back local overreach.
[link removed]
Montana even had a miracle . Now the question is whether more states will seize the moment. The reforms are on the table, and what we need now is the political will to adopt them. We could see lower housing prices and more housing options. There are few clearer, bipartisan policy wins than that.


Read the full
[link removed]
Menu of Options and explore our
[link removed]
interactive map of five key reforms to see the progress and the Mercatus research helping to guide it.

mailto:[email protected]?subject=
Ben Brophy
Director of Marketing

Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Topics & Issues



Veronique de Rugy
[link removed]
breaks down which tax breaks deliver real results and which ones just drain revenue while propping up special interests.


Liya Palagashvili
[link removed]
explores how portable benefits could empower workers in the growing multi-earner economy and why Congress is finally paying attention.


Jack Salmon
[link removed]
utilizes data forecasting to assess recent tariffs , demonstrating how tariffs are having the opposite effect of what was promised.


Alden Abbott
[link removed]
analyzes the latest Google Search antitrust ruling and why the court’s rejection of aggressive remedies may signal a turning point for Big Tech regulation.









You’re receiving this email because you signed up for This Week at Mercatus newsletter. If you’d prefer not to receive emails, you can
[link removed]
update your preferences .

[link removed]
Manage Preferences |
[link removed]
Privacy Policy


[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]






----------------------------------------
This email was sent by: Mercatus Center
3434 Washington Blvd., 4th Floor,
Arlington, VA, 22201 USA

Privacy Policy: [link removed]
Update Profile: [link removed]
Manage Subscriptions: [link removed]
Unsubscribe: [link removed]