The Free Market Can Tackle the Need for Affordable Housing | Eastern NC Now

Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation. The author of this post is Donna Martinez.

    This week, Locke's Jon Sanders participated in a Davidson College virtual forum that brought together diverse views on how to address the need for affordable housing. Jon advocated for new and fresh thinking, including allowing the free market to work.

   

    Jon also discussed further the concept of "development dividends," a new idea.

   

    In late 2019, Jon analyzed the affordable housing dilemma in this piece. Good food for thought here.

• Planners, policymakers, and other concerned citizens want more affordable housing options and less traffic congestion. But instead of more regulation, the way to bring those things about more effectively may be less restrictiveland-use and other regulations. With fewer government obstacles and more freedom to operate, people can respond to market needs more quickly and in a greater variety of ways.