Important questions. The County OCED recently released the 2025 Opportunity Index. It includes rates of child poverty per Census tract.
www.washtenaw.org/4659/Economi...
This RFP was released last month.
"Consultative Services for Harms Report for Potential
Reparations Program"
www.a2gov.org/media/jxhnwc...
I reviewed the Detroit Harms Report for comparison. rackham.umich.edu/faculty-and-...
I would support reparations.
I'm not a part of any machine though.
Price gouging should be regulated. Cartelization is bad. Tenants deserve strong protections.
But those regulations alone will not cure the fundamental mismatch between supply and demand. Having a lot more housing options would upend the power imbalance between landlords and tenants.
Snippet from the linked article: "Finally, people may resort to what Rubin (2003) calls “folk economic” explanations for high prices. Ordinary people tend to attribute economic outcomes they dislike to conniving bad actors, rather than impersonal market forces (Boyer and Petersen 2018). Real estate developers are an easy target, and landlords make good villains. too. If housing providers are bad and rising prices are bad, then, the folk economist reasons, price gouging and cartelization must be a big part of the reason why prices are going up."
Saying more supply won't help slow price increases, calling price dynamics "trickle down," blaming developer greed, calling for demand subsidies without increasing supply... this is "folk economics" at work.
In Ann Arbor, these arguments are very useful to incumbent landlords.
Economists have described the "folk economics of housing." The public can correctly identify how a supply shock will decrease the price of any good - except for housing. People also blame developers for high prices. Together, this warps their policy preferences.
pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/...
Detroit Free Press March 2, 2026. "Jocelyn Benson pitches plan to address Michigan housing shortage." "GRAND RAPIDS -- There seems to be a broad consensus that Michigan has a statewide housing problem -- homes are unaffordable and Michigan isn't building new housing fast enough to drive prices down."
Whitmer gets it. Benson gets it. A large bipartisan group of state legislators get it. All 11 #A2Council reps get it. The Detroit Free Press gets it.
But here in Ann Arbor, some people are still arguing whether constrained supply is pushing up the cost of housing.
lol i knew i'd get something wrong but had faith someone would correct me.
four in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, one in the second, two in the first
got it?
Oh no. This is disturbing.
Thanks, that's what I figured.
I guess the landlord has not yet considered that they could reduce rent to attract tenants.
The idea that "everyone" knows who this is betrays the tiny information bubble that they have created for themselves. Their idea of Ann Arbor is a small social circle.
I want that too... I just went through the presentation slides and didn't see any details except "permanent improvements to bike lanes."
But I was told they are all part of a machine that choreographs the meetings in advance and votes unanimously!
Absolutely. I loved MML's pattern book. I wonder if anyone has built from it.
mml.org/resources-re...
screenshot of A2 pause the plan that claims 6 studies show "unregulated markets won't deliver affordability." Yonah Freemark is an author on 3 of them.
Unfortunate that @yonahfreemark.com 's work is mischaracterized by an advocacy group in Ann Arbor. I appreciate Freemark's nuanced conclusions. I hate to see his work misinterpreted for political purposes, but I guess this is what we should expect.
a2pausetheplan.com/studies-media
I don't know but I like where your head's at
Perhaps another way to put this: Mr. Bartholomew's campaign messaging tries to center working class people (yay), so the early & enthusiastic support from an Ives Woods real estate agent who has been very vocal about protecting her neighborhood from housing development seems... discordant.
okay. IDK if it was or wasn't coordinated, but a lot of people are learning about the candidate through that facebook post and the campaign website seems to rhyme with Pause the Plan in important ways. Many people are dissatisfied with some current CMs and open to alternatives but... not like that.
I mean the announcement of his campaign website, which I would think would be a big moment for the campaign. But again, I'm not a professional campaign person.
I am not a campaign strategist, but I'm surprised that this candidate is allowing this person to break the news. It seems like a very polarizing way to start the campaign when I would think that association is unnecessary.
Mr. Ream has stated repeatedly in public comments that he would step aside if a younger person runs who would "protect the trees." Mr. Bartholomew's website indicates to me that he could fill that requirement.
"read a law" 🤣
Here is the comment in all its glory.
It's been a long few years here in Ann Arbor. We are about to get a much improved land use plan for 2050 thanks to these volunteer Planning Commissioners and housing advocates.
www.youtube.com/live/IEGcVzo...
There is some news buried in this episode!
Today’s Planning Commission vote is a major milestone for our city and for the residents who have long advocated for more affordable housing and smarter growth. This land use plan will help create walkable neighborhoods, expand housing options, and strengthen our local economy. More Neighbors A2 has worked alongside community members and city leaders to advance these policies, and we’re grateful to the Planning Commission for listening to residents. We look forward to supporting strong implementation so this vision becomes reality.
#A2Council #AnnArbor #Michigan #Housing #HousingCrisis #Affordability #Equity #Sustainability #Planning #Zoning
Well... out of CPC anyway.
His position boils down to "save a few trees in setbacks inside the City, bulldoze any and all treees outside the city"
… You start a conversation, you can't even finish it
You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?
… Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
Definitely top 10 but you say a lot of hilarious things!
