THE REAL BLOG

This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, LANDLOCKED by Policy: A Lower Standard of Living, Sold as Progress. The Gospel of Growth (For Them, Not You) If you've paid attention to housing policy over the last two decades, you've heard the sermon: Growth is bad . Sprawl is wasteful . We need to live smaller, consume less, accept density. Your desire for a yard? Unsustainable. Your dream of homeownership? Outdated. Your expectation that you might afford what your parents had

In a time where nearly everything feels political, here’s something we should all be able to agree on: our housing system, especially here in Bellingham, is an equal opportunity killer of dreams and hopes when it comes to ownership. It doesn’t matter your background, your politics, or how long you’ve lived here. If you’re trying to build a future, put down roots, and someday own a home, the odds are stacked against you. And the worst part? It didn’t happen by accident. The dr

Let’s talk about parking—because no one at City Hall wants you to. In addition to rebranding multifamily rentals as “Middle Housing” to...

Discover the truth about middle housing. Who really benefits from zoning reform—developers, homeowners, or first-time buyers? Dive into the equity and impact of middle housing.