The Rent Is Too Damn High: What To Do About It, And Why It Matters More Than You Think

Matthew Yglesias

Mar 2012 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From prominent political thinker and widely followed Slate columnist, a polemic on high rents and housing costs—and how these costs are hollowing out communities, thwarting economic development, and rendering personal success and fulfillment increasingly difficult to achieve.

Rent is an issue that affects nearly everyone. High rent is a problem for all of us, extending beyond personal financial strain. High rent drags on our country’s overall rate of economic growth, damages the environment, and promotes long commutes, traffic jams, misery, and smog. Yet instead of a serious focus on the issue, America’s cities feature niche conversations about the availability of “affordable housing” for poor people. Yglesias’s book changes the conversation for the first time, presenting newfound context for the issue and real-time, practical solutions for the problem.

Ratings and reviews

I bought the ebook, but it's not readable, Google Play goes straight from "Loading..." to "You have finished the book." Is there a way to print it out? Should we recommend it to planning commissions, city councils, etc, and have them make this same cant-read-it discovery? Is the content of the book not really anything that citizens and planners need to grasp?

Yglesias' observations fit exactly with my experience as a planning consultant. Over and over I see progressives fighting against new housing, usually because of parking and traffic fears. The politics of urbanism are indeed upside down.

Do not waste your money, pure craps.

About the author

Matthew Yglesias is a columnist for Slate.com, writing regularly for that site’s “Moneybox” feature. He is a former fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, and holds a BA in Philosophy from Harvard University. His first book, Heads in the Sand, was published in May 2008 by Wiley. Matt has previously worked as an Associate Editor at The Atlantic, a Staff Writer at The American Prospect, and an Associate Editor at Talking Points Memo. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, and other publications. Matthew has appeared on Fox News and MSNBC, and been a guest on many radio shows.