As investors look to profit from the carbon-offset gold rush, demand for land is soaring. But letting Big Finance restore nature may come at a cost
British students have learned a crucial lesson: landlords always come first
Landlords hoover up wealth in the good times but expect to be sheltered during the bad. It’s time for a reset.
The Tories’ planning overhaul is a ferocious attack on democracy
If these proposals become law, power will be taken from local elected representatives to unbridled, cash-driven developers
Extending help-to-buy will only make the housing crisis worse
To make homes places to live, rather than accumulate wealth, we need to overcome our addiction to house price growth
Boris Johnson’s plan to ‘build back better’ is an attack on democracy
The prime minister wants to dismantle England’s planning system and hand over more power to private developers. He must be stopped before it's too late.
First they ignore you… How the media is playing catch up on land reform
Back in February I found myself in the unusual position of being attacked in an editorial published by The Times. In a piece setting out the paper’s position on the land reform agenda in Scotland, I was named and shamed as the author of a “disturbing document” which “blithely ignores the rights of private owners and … Continue reading First they ignore you… How the media is playing catch up on land reform
Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing features in Martin Wolf’s best books of 2017
'Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing' has been included in the Financial Times Best Economics Books of 2017. The full list, compiled by Chief Economics Commentator Martin Wolf, is available on the Financial Times website. "The removal of land (defined as location) from the canonical neoclassical model of the economy was, argues this thought-provoking book, an … Continue reading Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing features in Martin Wolf’s best books of 2017
It’s time to call the housing crisis what it really is: the largest transfer of wealth in living memory
This article was originally published at openDemocracy. One of the basic claims of capitalism is that people are rewarded in line with their effort and productivity. Another is that the economy is not a zero sum game. The beauty of a capitalist economy, we are told, is that people who work hard can get rich … Continue reading It’s time to call the housing crisis what it really is: the largest transfer of wealth in living memory
Video: Interview with RealMedia on Britain’s housing crisis
I was interviewed by Real Media about the roots of Britain’s housing crisis, the polarising effect it is having on society, and what can be done to fix it.
To solve the housing crisis, we need to fix our broken land economy
This article was originally published at openDemocracy. The UK, along with many other advanced economies, is facing a major housing affordability crisis. Average house prices are now on average nearly eight times that of incomes across England and Wales, and up to 39 times in parts of central London. A whole generation finds itself priced out of … Continue reading To solve the housing crisis, we need to fix our broken land economy
Laurie Macfarlane 