Salim Furth
@salimfurth.bsky.social
Mostly on LinkedIn. Housing nerd. Personal views only. It's a free country.
Pinned
Salim Furth
@salimfurth.bsky.social
· Aug 29
Streamlining the Approval Process for Housing
A digital resource designed to equip policymakers with the core concepts needed to identify, understand, and address artificial intelligence policy challenges
www.mercatus.org
Want to know how to streamline permitting for homes in your state? Check out our research. So far, it covers 6 states, with 4 more (AZ, PA, NY, IL) in the pipeline.
www.mercatus.org/housing-stre...
www.mercatus.org/housing-stre...
I always wondered why there was a Selim Rd in Silver Spring. Now I know: Selim (no relation) was the actual *discoverer* of the original silver spring in what's now Acorn Park.
americanaristocracy.com/houses/silve...
americanaristocracy.com/houses/silve...
Silver Spring Mansion - American Aristocracy
americanaristocracy.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I always wondered why there was a Selim Rd in Silver Spring. Now I know: Selim (no relation) was the actual *discoverer* of the original silver spring in what's now Acorn Park.
americanaristocracy.com/houses/silve...
americanaristocracy.com/houses/silve...
Reposted by Salim Furth
Gift link, probably the funniest thing the Wall Street Journal has done this year.
We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.
An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI.
www.wsj.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Gift link, probably the funniest thing the Wall Street Journal has done this year.
Reposted by Salim Furth
We did it! After years of work, our Downtown for All zoning reform plan has passed the New Haven Board of Alders!
Our legislation significantly expands how much housing can be built in our city's core, and it will make a real difference for New Haven families.
🧵More details:
Our legislation significantly expands how much housing can be built in our city's core, and it will make a real difference for New Haven families.
🧵More details:
December 3, 2025 at 9:48 PM
We did it! After years of work, our Downtown for All zoning reform plan has passed the New Haven Board of Alders!
Our legislation significantly expands how much housing can be built in our city's core, and it will make a real difference for New Haven families.
🧵More details:
Our legislation significantly expands how much housing can be built in our city's core, and it will make a real difference for New Haven families.
🧵More details:
Reposted by Salim Furth
One way to reduce condo defect liability: stop forcing architects to design buildings that leak. HCD’s “objective design standards” guide *encourages* making building envelopes more complex, heightening leak and therefore defect lawsuit risk cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/Ap...
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 AM
One way to reduce condo defect liability: stop forcing architects to design buildings that leak. HCD’s “objective design standards” guide *encourages* making building envelopes more complex, heightening leak and therefore defect lawsuit risk cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/Ap...
NEW: There were lots of lessons for YIMBYs and housing scholars at the Urban Econ Association conference. My favorite papers were those that offered some cautions or leaden linings to popular ideas.
#UEAMontreal2025
marketurbanism.com/2025/11/03/h...
#UEAMontreal2025
marketurbanism.com/2025/11/03/h...
Hot takes and Pensées, #UEA2025 – Market Urbanism
marketurbanism.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
NEW: There were lots of lessons for YIMBYs and housing scholars at the Urban Econ Association conference. My favorite papers were those that offered some cautions or leaden linings to popular ideas.
#UEAMontreal2025
marketurbanism.com/2025/11/03/h...
#UEAMontreal2025
marketurbanism.com/2025/11/03/h...
Maybe fire departments in colonial-era cities like Santa Fe should buy appropriately-sized vehicles so they can reach all the residents, rather than expecting "good civic planning" to make wider streets??
October 27, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Maybe fire departments in colonial-era cities like Santa Fe should buy appropriately-sized vehicles so they can reach all the residents, rather than expecting "good civic planning" to make wider streets??
New post, words about words
marketurbanism.com/2025/10/15/u...
marketurbanism.com/2025/10/15/u...
Under the flag of urbanity – Market Urbanism
marketurbanism.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:02 PM
New post, words about words
marketurbanism.com/2025/10/15/u...
marketurbanism.com/2025/10/15/u...
Overheard: "Son, what are you doing?? You may not rollerblade on the stairs!!"
October 20, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Overheard: "Son, what are you doing?? You may not rollerblade on the stairs!!"
Reposted by Salim Furth
To the lawyers out there: how are public art requirements constitutional?
What is the conceivable nexus between building a building and creating a need for more art? The new building will reduce the community's art per capita?
What is the conceivable nexus between building a building and creating a need for more art? The new building will reduce the community's art per capita?
October 16, 2025 at 2:11 PM
To the lawyers out there: how are public art requirements constitutional?
What is the conceivable nexus between building a building and creating a need for more art? The new building will reduce the community's art per capita?
What is the conceivable nexus between building a building and creating a need for more art? The new building will reduce the community's art per capita?
Reposted by Salim Furth
So far in 2025, 11 cities have clearly signaled that the era of mandatory parking is coming to an end! 🎉
parkingreform.org/mandates-map/
parkingreform.org/mandates-map/
October 14, 2025 at 5:51 PM
So far in 2025, 11 cities have clearly signaled that the era of mandatory parking is coming to an end! 🎉
parkingreform.org/mandates-map/
parkingreform.org/mandates-map/
Happy (?) Columbus (???) Day!
This "holiday" (I'm working...you're probably working) is Exhibit A in the case for a federal holiday shakeup.
This "holiday" (I'm working...you're probably working) is Exhibit A in the case for a federal holiday shakeup.
October 13, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Happy (?) Columbus (???) Day!
This "holiday" (I'm working...you're probably working) is Exhibit A in the case for a federal holiday shakeup.
This "holiday" (I'm working...you're probably working) is Exhibit A in the case for a federal holiday shakeup.
It's like the miracle for the Widow at Zarephath, except with a bottle of Frank's Red Hot that's been Basically Empty since 2022.
October 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
It's like the miracle for the Widow at Zarephath, except with a bottle of Frank's Red Hot that's been Basically Empty since 2022.
Reposted by Salim Furth
Pew finds something that everybody in codes and standards knows but few will say out loud: we apply far stricter fire safety standards to apartments than to houses. www.pew.org/en/research-...
October 1, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Pew finds something that everybody in codes and standards knows but few will say out loud: we apply far stricter fire safety standards to apartments than to houses. www.pew.org/en/research-...
Reposted by Salim Furth
Tireless Mercatus team @salimfurth.bsky.social @ebwhamilton.bsky.social @charlescgardner.bsky.social just dropped 18 (!) strategies for state govts to increase housing supply. Love the ideas to limit "lawsuits of questionable merit" [ahem, Virginia]. www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2026
Although state legislatures took unprecedented strides toward releasing the housing supply from its regulatory straitjacket in 2025, most pro-housing policies have not yet been adopted in most states....
www.mercatus.org
September 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Tireless Mercatus team @salimfurth.bsky.social @ebwhamilton.bsky.social @charlescgardner.bsky.social just dropped 18 (!) strategies for state govts to increase housing supply. Love the ideas to limit "lawsuits of questionable merit" [ahem, Virginia]. www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
Reposted by Salim Furth
Reposted by Salim Furth
If it can get 75,000 signatures, Massachusetts voters will be able to vote on a ballot initiative in 2026 limiting minimum residential lot sizes to 5,000 sq. ft. in areas with public water and sewer bankerandtradesman.com/minimum-lot-...
Minimum Lot-Size Reform Is a Modest Idea with Big Potential
A proposed 2026 ballot initiative could seed housing production by making it easier to build more affordable single-family starter homes in Massachusetts.
bankerandtradesman.com
September 22, 2025 at 5:48 PM
If it can get 75,000 signatures, Massachusetts voters will be able to vote on a ballot initiative in 2026 limiting minimum residential lot sizes to 5,000 sq. ft. in areas with public water and sewer bankerandtradesman.com/minimum-lot-...
Me: Please generate a random list of cities and towns in NY
ChatGPT: {thinks...} Amenia, Albion, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Adams, Troy, Allegany, Amsterdam..
Me: What are the odds that 3/4 of your random sample would start with the letter "A"?
ChatGPT: ... 1 in 30 billion
ChatGPT: {thinks...} Amenia, Albion, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Adams, Troy, Allegany, Amsterdam..
Me: What are the odds that 3/4 of your random sample would start with the letter "A"?
ChatGPT: ... 1 in 30 billion
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Me: Please generate a random list of cities and towns in NY
ChatGPT: {thinks...} Amenia, Albion, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Adams, Troy, Allegany, Amsterdam..
Me: What are the odds that 3/4 of your random sample would start with the letter "A"?
ChatGPT: ... 1 in 30 billion
ChatGPT: {thinks...} Amenia, Albion, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Adams, Troy, Allegany, Amsterdam..
Me: What are the odds that 3/4 of your random sample would start with the letter "A"?
ChatGPT: ... 1 in 30 billion
Overheard:
6 y.o.: "The question is, if two self-driving cars crash into each other, whose fault is it?"
10 y.o., thoughtfully: "I dunno."
#raisingthemright
6 y.o.: "The question is, if two self-driving cars crash into each other, whose fault is it?"
10 y.o., thoughtfully: "I dunno."
#raisingthemright
September 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Overheard:
6 y.o.: "The question is, if two self-driving cars crash into each other, whose fault is it?"
10 y.o., thoughtfully: "I dunno."
#raisingthemright
6 y.o.: "The question is, if two self-driving cars crash into each other, whose fault is it?"
10 y.o., thoughtfully: "I dunno."
#raisingthemright
It was a privilege to talk with the one and only Newt Gingrich for his podcast. The housing cost crunch has a generational inflection, and it's encouraging when senior statesmen listen & speak up on behalf of those younger than me.
omny.fm/shows/newts-...
omny.fm/shows/newts-...
Episode 890: America’s Housing Affordability Crisis - Newt's World
Newt talks with Salim Furth, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity project at the Mercatus Center about America’s housing affordability crisis. Their discussion centers on the pressing i...
omny.fm
September 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
It was a privilege to talk with the one and only Newt Gingrich for his podcast. The housing cost crunch has a generational inflection, and it's encouraging when senior statesmen listen & speak up on behalf of those younger than me.
omny.fm/shows/newts-...
omny.fm/shows/newts-...
3 y.o. is talking about going to the Apple Store
(by which she means the store that sells apples, oranges, bread, milk, etc.)
(by which she means the store that sells apples, oranges, bread, milk, etc.)
September 18, 2025 at 1:04 PM
3 y.o. is talking about going to the Apple Store
(by which she means the store that sells apples, oranges, bread, milk, etc.)
(by which she means the store that sells apples, oranges, bread, milk, etc.)
I had a great chat with Marina Rubina for her podcast, *Who Killed the Starter Home* - check it out
starterhomepodcast.podbean.com/e/not-a-bubb...
starterhomepodcast.podbean.com/e/not-a-bubb...
Not a Bubble, Just Demand - Conversation with Salim Furth | Who Killed the Starter Home?
In this episode, economist Salim Furth explains why the housing crisis isn’t just speculation: it’s demand running headfirst into regulation. His research quantifies how much red tape really costs fam...
starterhomepodcast.podbean.com
September 12, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I had a great chat with Marina Rubina for her podcast, *Who Killed the Starter Home* - check it out
starterhomepodcast.podbean.com/e/not-a-bubb...
starterhomepodcast.podbean.com/e/not-a-bubb...
Reposted by Salim Furth
As we head into YIMBYtown (aka Super Bowl of housing supply), I've been reflecting on recent statewide policy wins & losses. One takeaway: which bills cross the finish line in a given year is kinda hard to predict.
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
State Housing Policy Changes Are More Random Than You Think
In the 1970s, as rapid inflation squeezed American families’ budgets, elected officials felt pressured to take visible actions to help their constituents.
www.mercatus.org
September 9, 2025 at 2:23 PM
As we head into YIMBYtown (aka Super Bowl of housing supply), I've been reflecting on recent statewide policy wins & losses. One takeaway: which bills cross the finish line in a given year is kinda hard to predict.
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
Reposted by Salim Furth
Huge thanks to the folks at Mercatus Center for editing & publication support. If you want more details on where housing had bonkers successful leg sessions in 2025, make sure to check out @salimfurth.bsky.social's super piece!
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
Framing Futures: Pro-Housing Legislation Goes Vertical in 2025
With no relief from high home prices and rents, more and more state legislators are interested in pursuing housing reform. As a result, state legislatures set new records for the number and strength o...
www.mercatus.org
September 9, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Huge thanks to the folks at Mercatus Center for editing & publication support. If you want more details on where housing had bonkers successful leg sessions in 2025, make sure to check out @salimfurth.bsky.social's super piece!
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
www.mercatus.org/research/pol...
Want to know how to streamline permitting for homes in your state? Check out our research. So far, it covers 6 states, with 4 more (AZ, PA, NY, IL) in the pipeline.
www.mercatus.org/housing-stre...
www.mercatus.org/housing-stre...
Streamlining the Approval Process for Housing
A digital resource designed to equip policymakers with the core concepts needed to identify, understand, and address artificial intelligence policy challenges
www.mercatus.org
August 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Want to know how to streamline permitting for homes in your state? Check out our research. So far, it covers 6 states, with 4 more (AZ, PA, NY, IL) in the pipeline.
www.mercatus.org/housing-stre...
www.mercatus.org/housing-stre...
Reposted by Salim Furth
the typical renter household in LA that moves into a *new* apartment makes below median income. Renters that live in new apartments are high income *amongst renters* but have below average incomes *amongst everyone*
August 20, 2025 at 1:29 AM
the typical renter household in LA that moves into a *new* apartment makes below median income. Renters that live in new apartments are high income *amongst renters* but have below average incomes *amongst everyone*