Brandon Istenes
@bistenes.bsky.social
Economist and data guy. Research & organizing around the housing crisis. Socialist 🌹 urbanist 🚲 . Newsletter: https://rentrentier.com
Just tried Claude Code and now kind of mourning the loss of programming as a craft.
December 6, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Just tried Claude Code and now kind of mourning the loss of programming as a craft.
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
The USPS posting a NINE BILLION DOLLAR LOSS!!! sounds terrible. Certainly worse than if you said "USPS costs thirty dollars per person per year" even though that means the same thing and more accurately describes a government service
December 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The USPS posting a NINE BILLION DOLLAR LOSS!!! sounds terrible. Certainly worse than if you said "USPS costs thirty dollars per person per year" even though that means the same thing and more accurately describes a government service
StudentAid in March: It's $100/mo with your new plan
StudentAid all summer: Get ready to pay $550/mo, sucker
StudentAid in November: haha j/k $50 is ok
StudentAid in December: How about $1
StudentAid all summer: Get ready to pay $550/mo, sucker
StudentAid in November: haha j/k $50 is ok
StudentAid in December: How about $1
December 4, 2025 at 4:03 PM
StudentAid in March: It's $100/mo with your new plan
StudentAid all summer: Get ready to pay $550/mo, sucker
StudentAid in November: haha j/k $50 is ok
StudentAid in December: How about $1
StudentAid all summer: Get ready to pay $550/mo, sucker
StudentAid in November: haha j/k $50 is ok
StudentAid in December: How about $1
The US is getting left behind
In the heart of Breda, in the south of the Netherlands, a dramatic metamorphosis is underway: the Nieuwe Mark project, where a corridor once dedicated to cars is being transformed into a blue-green vein; part of the city's vision to make its centre more beautiful, liveable, natural and sustainable.🧵
November 7, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The US is getting left behind
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
missing middle multifamily housing built to passivhaus w/ prefab straw exterior panels
construction cost of $120/sf
heating costs @ $0.25/kwh work out to $12/month.
low-carb passivhaus FTW
jfc. that's incredible.
construction cost of $120/sf
heating costs @ $0.25/kwh work out to $12/month.
low-carb passivhaus FTW
jfc. that's incredible.
😍
"Riom is building 6 apartments a 65 m2
Negative carbon footprint
0 concrete
Workshop duration 3 weeks, one stage per week
Certified passive house with a heating requirement of 9.5 kWh/m2/year
€1080 excl. VAT per m2"
foto: Gaël Bruyère #strawhouse #strawbuilding
www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...
"Riom is building 6 apartments a 65 m2
Negative carbon footprint
0 concrete
Workshop duration 3 weeks, one stage per week
Certified passive house with a heating requirement of 9.5 kWh/m2/year
€1080 excl. VAT per m2"
foto: Gaël Bruyère #strawhouse #strawbuilding
www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...
November 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
missing middle multifamily housing built to passivhaus w/ prefab straw exterior panels
construction cost of $120/sf
heating costs @ $0.25/kwh work out to $12/month.
low-carb passivhaus FTW
jfc. that's incredible.
construction cost of $120/sf
heating costs @ $0.25/kwh work out to $12/month.
low-carb passivhaus FTW
jfc. that's incredible.
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
Academics’ and planners’ single-minded focus on making *brand new* homes affordable to the poorest people has been a disaster for poor people’s’ ability to afford housing.
Real grim stuff from a nonprofit staff attorney and former UCSD urban studies lecturer
October 31, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Academics’ and planners’ single-minded focus on making *brand new* homes affordable to the poorest people has been a disaster for poor people’s’ ability to afford housing.
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
The E-Bike is the most energy-efficient transportation method ever created, even more efficient than walking. It is a societal innovation on par with vaccines and pesticides, and it should be fostered globally, and lifted into prominence.
what I love about e-bikes and the world of small electric mobility is that it is a full scale transportation revolution no one saw coming but that nonetheless has the power to address air pollution death & illness, climate change, traffic violence, affordability, and also social isolation & anxiety
November 2, 2025 at 6:23 PM
The E-Bike is the most energy-efficient transportation method ever created, even more efficient than walking. It is a societal innovation on par with vaccines and pesticides, and it should be fostered globally, and lifted into prominence.
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
it's not just approved permitted units that have cratered the last 4 years
new permit applications have also cratered
colleague talked to ULI rep today who said nothing is penciling in seattle or the PNW right now. we're headed for massive rent increases, folks.
new permit applications have also cratered
colleague talked to ULI rep today who said nothing is penciling in seattle or the PNW right now. we're headed for massive rent increases, folks.
October 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
it's not just approved permitted units that have cratered the last 4 years
new permit applications have also cratered
colleague talked to ULI rep today who said nothing is penciling in seattle or the PNW right now. we're headed for massive rent increases, folks.
new permit applications have also cratered
colleague talked to ULI rep today who said nothing is penciling in seattle or the PNW right now. we're headed for massive rent increases, folks.
my hot take is that there are no middle-aged left leaders because they became adults in the decades during which the left disavowed leadership
October 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
my hot take is that there are no middle-aged left leaders because they became adults in the decades during which the left disavowed leadership
Diamond Crystal salt did enshittiflation
October 16, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Diamond Crystal salt did enshittiflation
At least weekly I am on the fence about going to a social thing, and then remind myself of that paper showing that I will almost certainly be more satisfied and happy if I go do the social thing
September 22, 2025 at 1:32 AM
At least weekly I am on the fence about going to a social thing, and then remind myself of that paper showing that I will almost certainly be more satisfied and happy if I go do the social thing
"You can have permanent affordable housing, but it's gotta be at least a little bit evil"
www.multifamilydive.com/news/hud-law...
www.multifamilydive.com/news/hud-law...
September 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"You can have permanent affordable housing, but it's gotta be at least a little bit evil"
www.multifamilydive.com/news/hud-law...
www.multifamilydive.com/news/hud-law...
The thing about civil war in other countries is that it generally involves *stakes*, rather than just the mass murder of people that disagree with you
“THIS IS WAR.”
“Civil war.”
“The Left is the party of murder.”
“The Left won’t stop unless it’s forced to.”
Influential figures across the right have decided to use Charlie Kirk’s death to promote their fantasies of war and retribution against Democrats and leftists.
“Civil war.”
“The Left is the party of murder.”
“The Left won’t stop unless it’s forced to.”
Influential figures across the right have decided to use Charlie Kirk’s death to promote their fantasies of war and retribution against Democrats and leftists.
“THIS IS WAR”: Some right-wing figures call for retribution following Kirk killing
“More people will be murdered if the Left isn’t crushed with the power of the state.”
www.motherjones.com
September 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The thing about civil war in other countries is that it generally involves *stakes*, rather than just the mass murder of people that disagree with you
September 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Pair programming should be normative not because it's more efficient but because it would make programmers more well-socialized
September 9, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Pair programming should be normative not because it's more efficient but because it would make programmers more well-socialized
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
Personally, I am less concerned if land sellers and landlords make less money because there are more homes or taxes on land value.
The fact that those means rely on market signals does not obviate the resulting justice for the landless.
The fact that those means rely on market signals does not obviate the resulting justice for the landless.
September 7, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Personally, I am less concerned if land sellers and landlords make less money because there are more homes or taxes on land value.
The fact that those means rely on market signals does not obviate the resulting justice for the landless.
The fact that those means rely on market signals does not obviate the resulting justice for the landless.
WSJ thinks rental supply and demand is fake now, ok noted
It is harder than ever to find an apartment in New York City two years after the city cracked down on illegal Airbnb units and other short-term rentals.
New York’s Airbnb Crackdown, in Force for Two Years, Hasn’t Improved Housing Supply
It is harder than ever to find an apartment in NYC two years after the city cracked down on illegal Airbnb units and other short-term rentals.
on.wsj.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:22 AM
WSJ thinks rental supply and demand is fake now, ok noted
I didn't expect this result, but it turns out that peak housing affordability in the US coincided with a time when we were building *more* luxury housing (as a share) than today. rentrentier.com/affordable-l...
How much does luxury building matter?
The results of this one were a big surprise to me. The question I asked is, are rents high because the new housing that's being built is too expensive? There's a lot of attention on how expensive mark...
rentrentier.com
September 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I didn't expect this result, but it turns out that peak housing affordability in the US coincided with a time when we were building *more* luxury housing (as a share) than today. rentrentier.com/affordable-l...
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
A former mayor of Santa Monica says it best: gentrification is too much money chasing too little housing
Gentrification is what we call it when demand exceeds supply. It is not caused by bike lanes.
The answer is not to suppress demand by enshittifying cities, or to justify endangering & killing people outside of cars as a rent control mechanism, but to increase supply.
The answer is not to suppress demand by enshittifying cities, or to justify endangering & killing people outside of cars as a rent control mechanism, but to increase supply.
August 30, 2025 at 5:21 PM
A former mayor of Santa Monica says it best: gentrification is too much money chasing too little housing
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
This is an INSANE decision by the E.U.
“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the U.S., the E.U. has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives.”
This will kill people.
“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the U.S., the E.U. has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives.”
This will kill people.
ETSC: Mutual recognition deal with U.S. will cost lives on Europe’s roads
By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the United States, the European Union has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice…
etsc.eu
August 27, 2025 at 11:16 PM
This is an INSANE decision by the E.U.
“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the U.S., the E.U. has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives.”
This will kill people.
“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the U.S., the E.U. has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives.”
This will kill people.
Reposted by Brandon Istenes
I think you should be able to buy a cup of coffee or a bite to eat in America’s urban parks, and that the refusal to allow this is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of what urban parks are, and what purpose they serve.
American park concession policy drives me insane.
Here I am with my kid at the biggest park in Berkeley. There are hundreds of people here at birthday parties, playing tennis/basketball/frisbee, and running the dogs.
And yet the closest place to buy a *coffee* is a half mile walk.
Here I am with my kid at the biggest park in Berkeley. There are hundreds of people here at birthday parties, playing tennis/basketball/frisbee, and running the dogs.
And yet the closest place to buy a *coffee* is a half mile walk.
August 17, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I think you should be able to buy a cup of coffee or a bite to eat in America’s urban parks, and that the refusal to allow this is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of what urban parks are, and what purpose they serve.
August 12, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Single-family zoning is a subsidy for the wealthy
Research by Jaehee Song just published in the Journal of Urban Economics finds that restrictive single-family zoning in the US increases housing costs and "disproportionately attracts high-income white homeowners, reinforcing patterns of residential segregation" doi.org/10.1016/j.ju...
August 6, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Single-family zoning is a subsidy for the wealthy
Been saying for a long time that Trump heralded the end for "truth isn't real" as a respectable left-wing opinion
yeah today it's a reactionary thing mostly, but for a long fuckin' time until *very* recently there was way too much tolerance for this shit in left and liberal spaces. from "oh it's not harming anyone" to "different ways of knowing". RFK jr fucking came from that milieu.
August 6, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Been saying for a long time that Trump heralded the end for "truth isn't real" as a respectable left-wing opinion