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Ben Preis

@benjaminpreis.com

440 followers 360 following 53 posts

Director, National Housing Crisis Task Force. Senior Research Fellow, Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University. Landlords, urban networks, and wealth inequality. Formerly MIT DUSP and Tufts University. he/him

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Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · 29d

Very excited to contribute to #TheRooftop at from @futurelandhousing.bsky.social at New America. My piece discusses the roadblocks that face the diffusion of policy innovations in housing and how policy entrepreneurs can help overcome some of these barriers. www.newamerica.org/future-land-...

We Need More Policy Entrepreneurs to Solve the Housing Crisis

Amid a growing wealth of good ideas to address the housing shortage, we need to make sure the right ones reach the right places.

www.newamerica.org

Reposted by Ben Preis

Allison Shertzer @econhist-allday.bsky.social · Jul 7

I am looking for a research assistant to work with me on the development of U.S. housing markets. Experience with ArcGIS, Stata useful. We build datasets that allow us to understand housing affordability, the impacts of transit and zoning, and more:
rb.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FRS/jo...

Research Assistant/Sr. Research Assistant

Company Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Job Description Summary Research assistants (RAs) at the Philadelphia Fed play a key role in the Economic Research Department. Whether they are helping eco...

rb.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Jun 26

After a tremendous year of work, I'm pleased to announce that the National Housing Crisis Task Force has released its State & Local Housing Action Plan. With 15 bold ideas to address the housing shortage, we hope this plan can help local leaders act now. nationalhousingcrisis.org/app/uploads/...

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Apr 29

Californians... talk to me about SB750. Any analysis of the proposal and its potential impacts? @resnikoff.bsky.social @mnolangray.bsky.social

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 28

Hartog or Schragger, you mean? I'll admit that I read Hartog excerpts in Frug's class before reading the book on its own, so I see them as interrelated even if in conversation with each other.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 28

One more thought — though if you're not into legal history, maybe not — but it pairs well with City Power by Rich Schragger and with City Making by Gerald Frug.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 28

But in my recollection in the book, it's a lot about "what is a city"? What sort of powers can and should it have? What sort of powers should be off limits? Though we tend to view federal/state/local govs as all "the government" there was a time when local govs were treated very differently.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 28

I think there are also some lessons to be learned vis-a-vis local/state relations. A lot of the state preemption, state constitutional language around "general legislation" all come from cities like NYC and Philadelphia engaging in intense lobbying in the 19th century.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 28

For me, the legal history shows how the distinction between "public corporations" and "private corporations" is relatively new, and how much power NYC used to have to compel private citizens towards public improvements.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 28

This is, hands down, one of my favorite academic books of all time. Revelatory for me in so many ways.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 16

We use crisco!

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 13

I'm excited for it! I just want it... Every weekend. All year.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Mar 13

I know I'm not the first one to make the critique, but it is a sad state of affairs to celebrate a not-quite-monthly, nbhood-specific street closure when major cities all around the world close arterial roads every weekend. Just wish DC could get there.

The Hill is Home @thehillishome.com · Mar 13

HOLY MOLY! Capitol Hill is FINALLY getting a @DDOTDC Open Streets event!!!!!! openstreets.dc.gov/pages/spring...

Event Information Location: North Carolina Avenue SE, East Capitol Street, and Massachusetts Avenue SE from 6th Street SE to 17th Street SE Event Date: Saturday, June 28th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For th...

openstreets.dc.gov

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Feb 11

Feels like Terner Labs Housing Supply Simulator is trying to be the thing that can do that, though I don't think they've expanded east yet.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Jan 29

That's a... fair point and my bad.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Jan 29

Where are you getting the "homes in poor shape" number? (I wouldn't disagree, just curious where you're pulling that number from.)

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Jan 28

I imagine CDBG will definitely fall under the memo. I'm less certain (but pessimistic) about HCVs and PHA operating subsidies.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Jan 28

If you're referring to the list that's gone semi-viral on here, it's... A ChatGPT guess of what might be affected. bsky.app/profile/grav...

Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · Jan 28

I wish Alejandra had been more clear in her first post. It's pretty clear from later posts that she used Chat GPT to create a list of programs potentially included in the OMB memo and then verified their existence.

That is *not* the same as a confirmed list of programs being paused.

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Dec 17

Really excited to read this paper by a great group of scholars studying a critical issue as different forms of rental property ownership continues to be an issue vexing local communities.

Christine Jang-Trettien @chrjang.bsky.social · Dec 17

New #housing paper on landlords:

With co-authors Henry Gomory, Drew Messamore, @philipgarboden.bsky.social, we examine legal, organizational, and econ factors that shape landlord behaviors and practices.

www.tandfonline.com/eprint/7RBYS...

Beyond scale: Legal, organizational, and economic factors that shape landlord behaviors and tenant housing experiences

While scale is often used as a heuristic to understand heterogeneity among landlords, research demonstrates that broad differences in landlord size are often mediated by, confounded by, and conceal...

www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by Ben Preis

Prentiss Dantzler @docdantzler.bsky.social · Dec 12

Housing Policy Debate has opened a call for papers exploring the question "How does housing policy impact the racial wealth gap?" (1/2)

Reposted by Ben Preis

Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · Dec 10

Is there a recent-ish digest paper of state-level housing affordability/production interventions?

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Dec 5

Maybe billionaires buying newspapers wasn't the best solution to the local news crisis.

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · Dec 5

Scoop: After the LA Times published a piece about Elon Musk that carried a headline owner Patrick Soon-Shiong didn't like, a new rule was implemented: Prior to publishing opinion stories, headlines must be emailed to Soon-Shiong, where he can then choose to weigh in. www.status.news/p/los-angele...

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Staffers at the Los Angeles Times described to Status a demoralized publication depleted of its spirit in which employees are "confused," "offended," and "frustrated."

www.status.news

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Nov 28

I *think* that Atlanta's UDC technically has all of those powers. The bond authority might be contingent on the Housing Authority. And it's conceivable that the city may not use the zoning or eminent domain powers, but I'm pretty sure AUDC has them if it wants them!

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Nov 27

Does anyone know of a database of which states/localities offer tax abatements/exemptions for affordable housing - and what those abatement requirements are?

@yfreemark.bsky.social @cbgoodman.co maybe you know of something?

Ben Preis @benjaminpreis.com · Nov 25

As its written, I think you're right. But given that we treat "capital A affordable" housing differently than market-rate housing — and "Affordable Housing" is defined elsewhere in the bill, it just seems like a strange approach to me?