Zephyr Teachout wrote an early article critiquing Abundance, the book by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein. She appeared on Ezra's podcast and (IMHO) did not appear to have thought very deeply about the problem of housing affordability; instead defaulting to "monopoly in housing construction" as the problem. Stoller and Musharbash are re-iterating the position that had been staked out by Zephyr Teachout in March.
> Let’s assume that reforming rules on setbacks, parking, single-family zoning, and local input would achieve what they desire (the evidence is not straightforward; cities that have these reforms have lower costs, but they are rising at the same rate as in other cities). It would still seem relatively small-bore as a novel solution: Half of the 10 biggest cities in America—many in Texas—already have a zoning and procedural regime fairly close to what Klein and Thompson want. Are they simply arguing that Dems embracing Texas zoning approaches would transform national politics? That can’t be it.
Much of the criticism of Abundance from prominent pundits on The Left (including Teachout and Nathan Robinson) has been along the lines of "the actual problem is corporate monopoly" rather than zoning. (Or maybe: "zoning is an easy problem to fix and a distraction from the real problem of corporate monopoly".)
Yes, Teachout is one of the most prominent anti-monopoly advocates (along with Tim Wu). She wrote one of the first critical reviews of Abundance. She was then invited onto Klein's show to discuss the topic candidly with critics. Her positions are not "her's" but of a large section of the left who wants to blame the housing crisis on corporations rather than on cartel-like supply effects pushed by homeowner groups.
I'm confused, that name does not seem to occur in the article. Are you talking about some other context
Zephyr Teachout wrote an early article critiquing Abundance, the book by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein. She appeared on Ezra's podcast and (IMHO) did not appear to have thought very deeply about the problem of housing affordability; instead defaulting to "monopoly in housing construction" as the problem. Stoller and Musharbash are re-iterating the position that had been staked out by Zephyr Teachout in March.
> Let’s assume that reforming rules on setbacks, parking, single-family zoning, and local input would achieve what they desire (the evidence is not straightforward; cities that have these reforms have lower costs, but they are rising at the same rate as in other cities). It would still seem relatively small-bore as a novel solution: Half of the 10 biggest cities in America—many in Texas—already have a zoning and procedural regime fairly close to what Klein and Thompson want. Are they simply arguing that Dems embracing Texas zoning approaches would transform national politics? That can’t be it.
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/03/23/an-abundance-of-amb...
Much of the criticism of Abundance from prominent pundits on The Left (including Teachout and Nathan Robinson) has been along the lines of "the actual problem is corporate monopoly" rather than zoning. (Or maybe: "zoning is an easy problem to fix and a distraction from the real problem of corporate monopoly".)
Yes, Teachout is one of the most prominent anti-monopoly advocates (along with Tim Wu). She wrote one of the first critical reviews of Abundance. She was then invited onto Klein's show to discuss the topic candidly with critics. Her positions are not "her's" but of a large section of the left who wants to blame the housing crisis on corporations rather than on cartel-like supply effects pushed by homeowner groups.
Her review: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/03/23/an-abundance-of-amb...
Discussion with Teachout: https://youtu.be/Ib1wzwbL7Is