A Building Boom on Federal Land? It Just Might Work.
Everyone wants more housing. The government needs to make sure it gets built.
Plenty of room.
Photographer: Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group
Amid the relentless chaos in Washington — tariffs, trade war, terminally rising deficits — at least one sensible idea has recently emerged: The federal government wants to free up more land to build homes. It’s a great ambition. The devil, as ever, will be in the details.
Few problems vex Americans more than the struggle to find affordable housing. With development chronically lagging demand, the country faces a shortfall of as much as 7.3 million units. All too often, broad national support for homebuilding morphs into local opposition when the proposed construction is nearby. Policymakers resort to subsidizing buyers (which drives up prices) or to imposing rent caps and other “affordability” requirements on developers (which deters investment).