This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, January 9th,

2023. I'm Caleb Brown. If you were paying attention last year was a big one

for housing reform, particularly in states where the housing crisis has been most

visible.

Nolan Gray is author of the book Arbitrary Lines.

We spoke last week to take stock of housing reform, and what opportunities lie ahead for states and localities that don't want to end up with a California style housing crunch.

Before we get into what's next really for housing and zoning and the restrictions on people's ability to build and make use of their own property.

Let's take stock of what happened in 2022.

What were some of the, what were the big changes?

I know that you were all over this and you pointed out

as they were happening, a lot of important if underappreciated

changes to housing policy that occurred especially in areas where it's highly

restricted so let's take stock of 20 areas where it's highly restricted.

So let's take stock of 2022.

What changed in states and localities with regard to housing?

Yeah, well, at least in California where the housing affordability crisis is most acute and in many ways housing and land use reform is furthest along.

We really had a banner year. So here in California, Bill was passed. A few bills were passed. One bill was passed allowing for

Midrise multifamily in areas where the zoning had previously only allowed commercial.

So the idea here was you take some of those areas maybe that have half empty strip malls or

offices, office parks where folks are realistically never going to come back.

And you actually allow for more multifamily housing to be built there if the property owner wants to do that.

So that bill was passed.

...