When many liberals look at a rag-tag group of neighborhood activists fighting against a corporation, their tribal instinct is to back the neighborhood activists. But when it comes to the issue of infill housing development, this gets the politics exactly backwards.
Renter/home-buyer interests and housing developer interests are basically aligned. Not perfectly aligned, but about as well aligned as any political coalition is going to get. Both benefit from more total housing construction. Both are harmed by regulatory caps on the housing supply. So wherever you see developers pushing to build more housing units than neighbors want, the correct pro-equity position is to cheer them on.
This is a family blog, so I’ll put Chris Sawyer’s surly tribute to Philly developer Ori Feibush below the fold, but I agree completely. Everybody agrees the glut of vacant lots and blight in Philly is horrible. But what goes in those vacant lots if not more housing and mixed-use buildings? Can’t be all gardens and parks. City housing costs are too high. It’s time to build more infill housing, and the people who are fighting tooth and nail against NIMBYs and other pro-scarcity forces are heroes: Continue reading

