UCLA Housing Voice

Housing scarcity is linked to higher rents and house prices, but it’s rarely connected to the cost and reach of safety net programs — and it should be. Kevin Corinth joins to share his research on how increasing housing production in supply-constrained cities can help the government serve many more households with rent assistance.Show notes:Corinth, K., & Irvine, A. (2023). JUE Insight: The Effect of Relaxing Local Housing Market Regulations on Federal Rental Assistance Programs. Journal of Urban Economics, 103572.Molloy, R., Nathanson, C. G., & Paciorek, A. (2022). Housing supply and affordability: Evidence from rents, housing consumption and household location. Journal of Urban Economics, 129, 103427.Glaeser, E., & Gyourko, J. (2018). The economic implications of housing supply. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 32(1), 3-30.Episode 16 of UCLA Housing Voice, on Japanese housing policy with Jiro Yoshida.Episode 17 of UCLA Housing Voice, on housing vouchers with Rob Collinson. Eriksen, M. D., & Rosenthal, S. S. (2010). Crowd out effects of place-based subsidized rental housing: New evidence from the LIHTC program. Journal of Public Economics, 94(11-12), 953-966.Episode 45 of UCLA Housing Voice, on the impact of Auckland’s upzoning with Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy.

Exploring the costs of discretion in housing development, comparing approval timelines between discretionary and by-right projects. Discussing impacts on affordability, public trust, and the importance of understanding city development processes. Delving into Transit Oriented Communities program in LA, corruption in zoning approvals, and challenges for small developers in affordable housing projects.

Craig Pollack, MD, discusses the relationship between neighborhood poverty and asthma symptoms, the growing role of the medical establishment in housing, and the need for better housing policy to improve public health. They also explore the impact of moving to low poverty neighborhoods on asthma outcomes, and different payment models and Medicaid waivers for housing support.

The modern mortgage: fixed-rate, low interest, 30-year term, 80% loan-to-value, amortizing. It wouldn’t exist without the backing of the federal government, but how and why was it created? And what were the consequences for the housing market and broader economy? Judge Glock joins us to share the surprising history of the modern home mortgage, the strange bedfellows who fought for its creation, and its relationship to a century of bank bailouts.Show notes:Glock, J. E. (2021). The Dead Pledge: The Origins of the Mortgage Market and Federal Bailouts, 1913–1939. Columbia University Press.Gillman, H. (1993). The Constitution Besieged: The rise and demise of Lochner era police powers jurisprudence. Duke University Press.Seligman, L. G., & Cornwell, E. E. (1965). New Deal Mosaic: Roosevelt Confers with His National Emergency Council, 1933-1936.

Studies in Latin America show that “secure tenure” —- protections against displacement by the government — can encourage resident-led development and economic growth in slum areas, as well as improve public health. Is the same true in the African context? And what happens if the government also provides quality, affordable housing along with secure tenure? Singumbe Muyeba joins us to share the results of his research on a slum upgrading program in Nairobi, Kenya.Show notes:Muyeba, S. (2023). Property rights and health for the urban housing poor in Nairobi: Evidence from a phased-in natural experiment. Journal of Urban Affairs, 45(3), 590-615.Bah, E. H. M., Faye, I., Geh, Z. F., Bah, E. H. M., Faye, I., & Geh, Z. F. (2018). The housing sector in Africa: Setting the scene. Housing Market Dynamics in Africa, 1-21.Vogl, T. S. (2007). Urban land rights and child nutritional status in Peru, 2004. Economics & Human Biology, 5(2), 302-321.Galiani, S., & Schargrodsky, E. (2004). Effects of land titling on child health. Economics & Human Biology, 2(3), 353-372.Galiani, S., & Schargrodsky, E. (2010). Property rights for the poor: Effects of land titling. Journal of Public Economics, 94(9-10), 700-729.Monkkonen, P. (2012). The demand for land regularisation: Theory and evidence from Tijuana, Mexico. Urban Studies, 49(2), 271-288.Monkkonen, P. (2016). Where do property rights matter more? Explaining the variation in demand for property titles across cities in Mexico. World development, 88, 67-78.Episode 32 of UCLA Housing Voice with Diego Gil on Chile’s “Enabling Markets” policy, which the World Bank and others advocated for other developing countries.

Leah Boustan and Robert Margo discuss their research on condominium conversion restrictions in US cities. They debunk the belief that condos cause gentrification and explore the unintended consequences of condo regulations. They also talk about the impact of rent control policies on condo conversions and compare condo development in the US and Canada.

In our last episode we talked with Vinit Mukhija about how informal and incremental development is reshaping single-family housing cities in the Global North. This time Prof. Mukhija is back, getting into the weeds of the policies and politics driving those changes. What are the keys to successful accessory dwelling unit and second unit housing policy, and how do we find the right balance between local control and the intervention of state legislatures?Show notes:Mukhija, V. (2022). Remaking the American Dream: The Informal and Formal Transformation of Single-Family Housing Cities. MIT Press.The Los Angeles Times You Do ADU Newsletter.Floor plan of Lennar’s “Home Within a Home” new-build housing with interior second unit.A history of state ADU reform in California: Casey, D. (2021). A Guide to Ending Single-Family Zoning: Lessons Learned from 39 Years of ADU Legislation. California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund.Furth, S., and Remington, J. (2021, April 27). Ordinances at Work: Seven Communities That Welcome Accessory Dwelling Units. Mercatus Center.AARP. (2021). Accessory Dwelling Units Model State Act and Local Ordinance.Another resource on ADUs: AccessoryDwellings.org.Peterson, K. (2018). Backdoor Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development. Accessory Dwelling Strategies, LLC.Crane, R. E. (2020). Is Granny in that Flat? How Regulations Shape the Construction and Use of Accessory Dwelling Units in Los Angeles. University of California, Los Angeles. Marantz, N., Elmendorf, C., & Kim, Y. B. (2023). Evaluating California’s Accessory Dwelling Unit Reforms: Preliminary Evidence and Lessons for State Governments. NYU Furman Center.Durning, A. (2020, February 21). One of North America’s Boldest Housing Initiatives Has Reached Its End: Did It Work? Sightline Institute.

Does your neighbor have an unpermitted home in their backyard? It’s more likely than you think, and it may be filling a valuable niche in the housing market. Vinit Mukhija of the UCLA Dept. of Urban Planning joins us to talk about his new book, Remaking the American Dream, and how informal and incremental housing is reshaping single-family neighborhoods. This is part one of a two-part series; in part two we’ll get into the weeds on accessory dwelling units (aka backyard cottages, granny flats, etc.) and debate the merits of state intervention in local housing policy.Show notes:Mukhija, V. (2022). Remaking the American Dream: The Informal and Formal Transformation of Single-Family Housing Cities. MIT Press.Background on the City of Los Angeles’ Unpermitted Dwelling Unit Ordinance.More info on the LA-Más ADU pilot program with LA County.Mukhija, V. (2017). Squatters as Developers? Slum Redevelopment in Mumbai. Routledge.

We spend billions of dollars on affordable housing development every year, but many units lose their protections and return to market prices after a few decades. Why do we do things this way? Annette Kim joins us to discuss this problem, community land trusts as a strategy for solving it, and the benefits and obstacles to scaling them up.Show notes:Kim, A. M., & Eisenlohr, A. (2022). Community Land Trusts for Sustainably Affordable Rental Housing Redevelopment. Cityscape, 24(1), 233-256.Kim, A. M. (2015). Sidewalk City: Remapping Public Space in Ho Chi Minh City. University of Chicago Press.Episode 41 on shared-equity homeownership with William Cheung and Kelvin Wong.Feasibility analysis for increasing affordability covenant duration to 99 years in City of Los Angeles.From the Lewis Center: Phillips, S. (2020). Increasing the Duration of Affordability Requirements for New Affordable Housing.Reyes, E. A., & Menezes, R. (Mar 7, 2014). L.A. and Orange counties are an epicenter of overcrowded housing. Los Angeles Times.

Where are evictions most common? You might assume the answer is gentrifying neighborhoods, but evictions are actually most prevalent in areas of concentrated, persistent disadvantage. Joined by co-author (and regular co-host) Mike Lens, Kyle Nelson discusses his research on two eviction types in Southern California — court-based “at-fault” evictions and administrative “no-fault” evictions — including the different motivations behind them, where they’re distributed, and how we might prevent them.Show notes:Nelson, K., Gromis, A., Kuai, Y., & Lens, M. C. (2021). Spatial concentration and spillover: Eviction dynamics in neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, 2005–2015. Housing Policy Debate, 31(3-5), 670-695.Lens, M. C., Nelson, K., Gromis, A., & Kuai, Y. (2020). The neighborhood context of eviction in Southern California. City & Community, 19(4), 912-932.Episode 47 with Hyojung Lee on gentrification and displacement.Syphilis Explosion billboards!