To address the housing shortage and affordability crisis, North America needs to break up with the McMansion. McMansions, a term that describes generic and oversize mass-produced suburban homes at the core of urban sprawl, are not the specific target of urban economist James’ Macek latest paper, but the are a symptom of the problem he has identified.

Macek, a PhD student with the Department of Economics, has investigated how municipal regulations concerning minimum lot size for houses affects people’s well-being, city structure, and housing affordability.

“Housing costs and affordability issues have become worse over time and are absolutely detrimental to young people and those on the cusp of being able to afford a home, in both Canada and the US. One of the reasons why housing is so unaffordable is because the housing market, both in the US and Canada, is one of the most regulated on Earth,” Macek explained. [Read more…]