Will a "New Direction" in Housing Policy Mean a "Return to Feudalism"?

John Petro counters Joel Kotkin's views that America's post-bubble housing policy should be "a renewed quest for homeownership."

1 minute read

July 2, 2009, 1:00 PM PDT

By Michael Dudley

In this op-ed from the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, John Petro states that "there is nothing sustainable about our current housing model" and that a "new direction" is needed. He is particularly scornful of Joel Kotkin's admonishments that a more balanced housing policy is "a way for 'new urbanists', 'big-city theoreticians', and even 'the fashion police' to force people out of their leafy bungalows and into drab apartment blocks. [Kotkin] seems to be defending homeownership, but really he's defending suburbs."

Instead, more diverse housing stock, dense living arrangements and more tenure options will "create better neighborhoods for everyone."

FULL STORY: After the Bubble: A New Direction for Housing

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 in DMIblog

Housing United States Suburbs Joel Kotkin

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