Wash U Professor Said New Affordable Housing Law Is Not Enough
Date Posted: July 28, 2026
Posted In: Discussion, Ideas,
A bipartisan bill lauded as the most comprehensive housing bill passed in the U.S. recently became law. But one Washington University professor and housing expert says the bill won’t do enough to tackle affordability issues.
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act passed with bipartisan support, aiming to tackle rising housing costs and help families across the country afford housing. The law does so through several different avenues.
The bill limits the number of homes corporate or investor landlords can own, provides incentives for local and state governments to relax rules on housing developments, reduces some construction barriers and plans to modernize programs that have slowed down the development process nationwide.
Carol Camp Yeakey is the founding director of Washington University’s Center on Urban Research and Public Policy and author of the upcoming book “When Wall Street is Your Landlord,” which partially focuses on housing in St. Louis.
She said the bill falls far short when it comes to making housing more affordable for Americans.
“It’s a nice bill,” she said. “But it doesn’t impact the major factors impacting housing and housing affordability in America.”
She spoke with St. Louis Public Radio Economic Reporter Kavahn Mansouri about where the bill falls short.