Why You Can't Build "Affordable Housing" on Public Land

Описание: Attempts to sell public lands for housing, such as the effort we saw from Mike Lee in the Big Beautiful Bill, have become mainstream. In addition to Lee's efforts, we have also seen proposals from DOI/HUD, and both major party Presidential candidates have proposed it as well. Clearly, selling public lands for housing has become politically relevant. But, I'm here to tell you that these attempts make no sense. There is basically no scenario where large scale public lands selloffs, such as those we have seen proposed, will make any appreciable difference in solving this country's (very real) housing crisis. In short, we need to be building homes, but not on public lands.

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Sources and Resources:
DOI/HUD Joint Press Release
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/icy...

National Low Income Housing Coalition - HUD Affordable Housing Cuts
https://nlihc.org/resource/trump-admi...

Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act Sell Off Figures
https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/fil... Facts 7-1-2024.pdf

Center for Geospatial Studies Data Tool
https://experience.arcgis.com/experie...

Colorado College State of the Rockies Poll
https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other... Poll 2025 - National Press Release.pdf

Center for Western Priorities Coverage:
https://westernpriorities.org/issue/h...
  / the-devil-is-in-the-details-when-it-comes-...  
  / senator-mike-lees-mcmansion-subsidy-act-wi...  
  / the-west-has-an-affordable-housing-crisis-...  

Other Coverage:

‘Exclusive: Rosen introduces Washoe county lands bill years in the making”
https://thenevadaindependent.com/arti...

‘Feds agree to streamline public land sale process for affordable housing around Las Vegas’
https://thenevadaindependent.com/arti...

‘Financing, zoning, not federal land access, are what will expand affordable housing, experts say’
https://nevadacurrent.com/2024/05/29/...

High Country News:
https://www.hcn.org/articles/public-l...
https://www.hcn.org/articles/could-bu...

“Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as its Water Supply Dwindles”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/cl...

Boston Globe:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/05/0...

ProPublica:
https://www.propublica.org/article/ut...

E&E News:
https://www.eenews.net/articles/build...

Idaho Public Land Selloffs
https://idahoconservation.org/wp-cont...


Reports:
Center for American Progress:
https://www.americanprogress.org/arti...

Headwaters Economics:
https://headwaterseconomics.org/publi...
https://891khol.org/public-lands-not-...
https://headwaterseconomics.org/natur...

Center for Geospatial Solutions:
https://cgsearth.org/cgs-who-owns-ame...


YouTube Videos:
   • Housing Prices Can't Drop... Without This ...  
   • How the US made affordable homes illegal  
   • We Went To Montana: The Housing Inequality...  

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