The result of NIMBYism’s rule.

Take a look at America’s new breed of third world style shantytown. It’s a tent village in Reno, Nevada populated by homeless with nowhere else to go. Get used to the image, because villages like it are popping up in cities all across the country.

Meanwhile, developers continue to build oversized, over-expensive housing rather than reasonable housing for the middle class. They do this because local governments around the country continue to outlaw affordable housing via exclusionary zoning practices that make modestly-sized homes difficult or impossible to construct. Local governments, in turn, have exclusionary zoning because local citizens demand it, or at least accept it.

When so-called starter homes look like this, it’s no wonder we’re in a foreclosure crisis. The American housing market cannot adequately supply housing affordable to the American workforce because Americans are busy demanding that only luxurious products be delivered. As a result, a smaller number of Americans are living in bigger houses, while a larger number of formerly middle class Americans fall through the cracks.

This is just a suggestion, but maybe we should rethink exclusionary zoning. The next time your town discusses residential development, for goodness sake, argue for more, smaller units.