Yoni Appelbaum on how NIMBYism ‘froze the American Dream’

In the new book Stuck, Yoni Appelbaum argues that Americans used to move around a lot, picking up anytime and often to chase a better opportunity, a better job. This migratory habit led to a lot of social, cultural and economic prosperity in our nation.

But decades of onerous zoning laws, anti-growth housing policies and general NIMBYism have closed off communities and priced out mobility for most Americans. Even if there are jobs, high housing prices make the move unaffordable. Now, only the privileged get to choose where they live, and Appelbaum argues this is especially true in bluer, urban enclaves where “progressives are destroying the very force that produced the values they claim to cherish.”

His solution includes a call for people to embrace an influx of new housing in their neighborhoods — from multi-unit developments to in-law suites.  

Guest

Yoni Appelbaum, deputy executive editor of The Atlantic and author of Stuck: How the Privileged and Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity.