I include this graph from De La Roca and Puga (2017) in almost every urban economics short course that I give. It shows the wage premium (y) of workers versus time (x) for two cities in Spain. Main message? The more time spent in larger cities, the higher the wages.

The heatwave is a good reminder that the new homes we are building don't have A/C, despite being very well-insulated in a warming climate. We think the Government should say that A/C is good, and allow it to be used to comply with overheating regulations.

In Northern Ireland there is a road, the A5, that connects some of the most infrastructure-poor areas in the UK that has been waiting 20 years for an upgrade. It is the most dangerous road in the region.

The strategy combines horizontal reforms and sectoral plans. At its best, it addresses high "system costs" - input prices, planning restrictions, tax uncertainty - that reduce productivity economy-wide and limit investment. Delivering these reforms will benefit most sectors.

Today the CA legislature revealed transformative changes to the housing development approval process that will go into effect as soon as Monday. ★With these changes, most infill housing projects will be exempt from CEQA. ★If a project is by-right, it generally must be approved

I am normally sceptical of "one quick fixes" but this one is a no-brainer: Angela Rayner could, without changing legislation, remove the 500 homes limit for building houses alongside new infrastructure. This would help us hit 1.5m homes + build new railways by 2029.

If only there were a one word answer to this incredibly difficult economic question

🔥On steaming hot days like today it's worth recalling that the UK govt's heat pump scheme is actively pushing people away from investing in green heating systems that also do air conditioning. It's one of the most baffling blind spots in policy... From a recent column👇

I cycle and don’t drive not because it’s more environmentally friendly but because it’s cheaper and faster. The thing about environment policy is that you won’t win people over if it’s not better and cheaper. Heat pumps as air conditioning is one big incentive!

What’s Ireland’s biggest development problem? We can build houses – at a small scale. But what we really struggle with is new neighbourhoods – with transport, parks, jobs, and homes. Our new Progress Ireland paper, on land readjustment, shows how we can do this:

I honestly can barely believe this happened. Total YIMBY victory in California today. After Newsom signs this bill; CEQA will no longer apply to *any* infill housing under 85’. No inclusionary zoning or labor provisions.

Boosting the supply of social rented homes has always been a priority for Angela Rayner and me. We are today announcing that 60% of our 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme will be for Social Rent.