Plain English with Derek Thompson

What's Going on With the U.S. Housing Market?

May 24, 2022

Jerusalem Demsas, a sharp housing writer from The Atlantic, dives into the complexities of the U.S. housing market with Derek. They discuss whether we're facing a housing bubble and why prices continue to soar. The conversation highlights the impact of environmental regulations and nimbyism on development, revealing how wealthier groups influence housing availability. With pressing issues like homelessness in affluent cities, they stress the urgent need for innovative solutions to balance housing demand and affordability.

56:04

Episode guests

Jerusalem Demsas

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Analyzing the U.S. Housing Market Dynamics

22min

The Intersection of Environmental Regulations and Urban Development

2min

Nimbyism and Environmental Regulations: A Costly Consequence

4min

The Impact of Citizen Voice on U.S. Housing Development

5min

Understanding the U.S. Housing Crisis

17min

It's our first Curiosity Corner podcast! We asked you to tell us what questions you wanted us to answer, and a lot of you had the same thought on your mind: housing. In this podcast, we answer: What's going on with the U.S. housing market? Is this a bubble? Is it bursting? Why are homes in America so expensive? Why are we so bad at building houses? Why is there so much homelessness in America's richest cities? The Atlantic's Jerusalem Demsas comes on the show to share her theories with Derek, and Derek explains why he thinks every important question about the U.S. housing market has the same fundamental answer: inventory, inventory, inventory.

Keep sending your questions at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Jerusalem Demsas

Producer: Devon Manze

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.