The Pie: An Economics Podcast Stuck: How Housing Regulation Ended America's Mobility Revolution
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Sep 2, 2025 
Peter Ganong, an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago focusing on housing, and Yoni Appelbaum, Deputy Editor at The Atlantic and author of *Stuck*, delve into America's mobility crisis. They discuss how restrictive housing regulations have hindered economic opportunities, creating a divide where only the affluent can relocate to thriving cities. Historical insights reveal how moving once shaped American life, while today, rising costs and zoning laws limit movement and impact community dynamics. The conversation even spices up with a playful culinary lightning round!
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Sleeping On A Porch Sparked Research
- Peter Ganong slept on an unheated porch when he first rented in D.C., highlighting tight housing even for college grads.
- That experience spurred his curiosity about who could afford living in high-cost cities.
Cambridge Move Triggered The Book
- Yoni Appelbaum lived in Cambridge with a growing family and found housing there unaffordable despite professional incomes.
- That personal struggle motivated his historical investigation into why cities no longer accommodate working families.
Housing Costs Break Migration Gains
- Rising housing costs now erase migration gains for low-wage workers, changing who benefits from moving.
- Peter Ganong shows that janitors once gained moving to rich cities but today often lose after housing costs.
