At the end of February Kristian Niemietz cast an eye over Michael Gove’s announcement of a revised policy intending to … Continue reading “Oiling the cogs of growth: Gove’s office conversion plans”

You hear that a private developer plans to build a new apartment building across the street. What does that mean … Continue reading “Housing: the case for YIMBY (Yes, In My Back Yard!) (Part 1)”

Imagine we had no land use planning system at all. Landowners and developers could do as they please. Anyone could … Continue reading “The greenbelt is an example of Milton Friedman’s ‘tyranny of the status quo’”

Many think that the work of academic economists has little or no relevance to real world problems. Yet the insights … Continue reading “Solving the housing crisis: the economics of Ronald Coase might have some answers”

The greenbelt is a sacred cow, right? Everybody loves the greenbelt, everybody wants to see it protected, and everybody knows … Continue reading “Why greenbelt reform is not a lost cause”

In a centralised country like ours, regional and local politics will always play second fiddle to national events, such as … Continue reading “London’s next mayor must be unashamedly in favour of airport and housing expansion”

IEA Director General Mark Littlewood explores the costs of housing, and the reasons behind the rampant house price inflation. He … Continue reading “Through the Roof”

An unexpected increase in construction (from an extremely low base) has left building materials, especially bricks, in short supply, leading … Continue reading “Brick shortages come and go. Planning restrictions are the real obstacle to house building”

A lot of nonsense is being written about the UK’s housing crisis. But Danny Dorling’s book ‘All that is solid. … Continue reading “Danny Dorling’s ‘All that is solid’: The worst book on the housing crisis so far”