Paul Williams

561 | Jeff Hauser vs. Paul Williams - Debating What the Abundance Agenda Gets Right and Wrong Podcast Episode · The Realignment · 07/15/2025 · 1h 1m

Here, @pewilliams.bsky.social @jeffhauser.bsky.social & Marshall Kosloff model an Abundance-populist synthesis.

Hint: it's a lot easier when you root Abundance in the local YIMBYism that inspired it, which the national conversation often distracts from.
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Just heard @pewilliams.bsky.social explaining that the grassroots YIMBY movement knows unleashing supply requires major zoning reform and cutting red tape, and also ensuring private actors act for public good. Nuance doesn’t get clicks but it does get stuff right.

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Most of my gcs are on Twitter

Last week, California passed a landmark law exempting many infill housing developments from CEQA.

Here’s how we can do the same thing on a national level, exempting urban infill housing from NEPA. New report from Aaron Shroyer for @publicenterprise.bsky.social:

Infill Nation: Reforming NEPA to Build More Housing Read the full report here. Imagine if the Inflation Reduction Act had included the housing supply provisions from the House-passed Build Back Better Act. Based on the magnitude of the investments, ...

publicenterprise.org/report/infil...

Last week, California passed a landmark law exempting many infill housing developments from CEQA.

Here’s how we can do the same thing on a national level, exempting urban infill housing from NEPA. New report from Aaron Shroyer for @publicenterprise.bsky.social:

De-Risking the Clean Energy Transition As federal uncertainty grows and climate goals face political headwinds, a new coalition of subnational actors is rising to stabilize markets, accelerate permitting, and finance a more inclusive green...

Our own @pewilliams.bsky.social co-wrote with @scientistsorg.bsky.social on state derisking of clean energy projects! Thread 1/

This is part of an ongoing CPE research on state capacity improvements for doing project development! Next report coming soon on state EDAs.
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Toplines from HUD section of Trump proposed FY26 budget:
Sections 8, 9, 202 and 811 all eliminated and replaced by much smaller state block grant.
Elimination of HOME+CDBG.
Elimination of the Pathways to Removing Obstacles program, which helped cities do zoning/permitting reform.

Committing to the Drill Bit Committing to the Drill Bit: Derisking Enhanced Geothermal's Unique Market Structure

My colleague and I just published a report on the implications of the market structure of Enhanced Geothermal (EGS) on policy options for stimulating the sector.

publicenterprise.org/report/commi...

The Public Utility Commission of Texas approves first ultra-high voltage (745 kV) transmission lines in the state to help power electrification of the Permian oil patch. 🔌💡

Enhanced Geothermal Consortium for the Mountain West Read the full report here. Next-generation geothermal technologies are at the frontier of energy development in the United States. Drawing on drilling techniques developed during the shale boom, en...

Published a report arguing for Western states to collaborate on the deployment of enhanced geothermal technologies.

This "Mountain West" consortium ought to pursue regulatory harmonization and cooperation on various development issues.
publicenterprise.org/report/enhan...

John Jay econ alum @pewilliams.bsky.social makes the case that to bring down housing costs, we have to address supply.

Mark Carney, asked about housing:

"We need to build affordable housing at a scale we haven't seen since the second world war. My government is going to do that."

He suggests an announcement on this is coming in a few days.

Love @pewilliams.bsky.social and his take on how we can shape housing markets to produce more supply. So pleased to partner up.

The Musical Chairs Theory of Housing For hundreds of years, thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers all moved on the same day. Moving Day, which fell on May 1 each year, coincided with near-universal annual lease renewals from landlords ...

More new pro-housing content from @rooseveltinstitute.org, this time courtesy of the great @pewilliams.bsky.social! www.firesidestacks.com/p/the-musica...

Imagine a game of musical chairs—but it’s NYC’s housing market.

@pewilliams.bsky.social breaks down why we have to stop playing the game and add chairs: Supply is key to affordability. 🏠 #FiresideStacks 🔥 www.firesidestacks.com/p/the-musica...

As I noted, Roosevelt will be doing more work on housing going forward. Today we have a great guest post from housing expert and fellow JFI alum @pewilliams.bsky.social !

Boosting housing supply helps increase the odds that housing voucher holders find a home to rent where they can use their voucher.

This is such a key point. Fundamentally to solve the housing crisis we need more redistribution and more housing.

The reason I champion more housing is not because I’m a free market developer shill (I’m not). It’s because the ethos of “there’s not room for more” always hurts our poorest neighbors the most. Zoning reform won’t solve affordability but without it we can’t make real progress.

This is insane — hopefully forever banishes the myth that expanding supply does nothing for low-income people

The Musical Chairs Theory of Housing For hundreds of years, thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers all moved on the same day. Moving Day, which fell on May 1 each year, coincided with near-universal annual lease renewals from landlords ...

Read the full piece from Roosevelt here: www.firesidestacks.com/p/the-musica...

As Chirag says: more supply means more effective redistribution.

A family given a housing voucher in a supply constrained market often never finds a home.

The Musical Chairs Theory of Housing For hundreds of years, thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers all moved on the same day. Moving Day, which fell on May 1 each year, coincided with near-universal annual lease renewals from landlords ...

Smart writeup from my colleague @pewilliams.bsky.social on how housing shortages impact the efficacy of voucher programs. More supply = more successful redistribution!
www.firesidestacks.com/p/the-musica...

"More NYC Residents Support Congestion Pricing Than Oppose It" Bar graph comparing Siena College polling data of NYC residents from December 2024 to March 2025. December 2024: 32% Support congestion pricing, 56% oppose it. March 2025: 42% support congestion pricing, 35% oppose it.

Today's Siena College poll shows a dramatic turnaround from a December poll.

Now, more NYC residents think that congestion pricing should stick around compared to those who want Trump to end the life-changing policy. nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/03/10/s...

They construct the indices by word-searching newspapers for the word “uncertain” www.policyuncertainty.com/us_monthly.h...

The only way you get savings is if you cancel the minority business contract for highway repaving and then just never repave the highway, which is not going to happen. They will just hire a white guy to repave the highway for the same amount of money.

We have zero idea what size/scope tariffs are coming in 5 days and it’s giving the US a reading that low? Not a very helpful index…