A Summer 2025 Reading List for Housing Innovation Enthusiasts

Looking to understand the housing crisis – and what we can do about it? These books – written by or featuring Ivory Prize finalists or experts – offer fresh insights, bold proposals, and important context to help us imagine and build better housing and better cities.

Arbitrary Lines – M. Nolan Gray

(Published June 21, 2022)

(Senior Director of Legislation and Research for California YIMBY, a 2019 Ivory Prize finalist) 

An urbanist’s call to arms against outdated zoning. Gray argues that rigid land-use regulations stifle housing supply, increase inequality, and entrench segregation—and makes the case for abolishing single-use zoning altogether.

Fixer-Upper – Jenny Schuetz

(Published February 22, 2022)

(a member of the Ivory Prize Advisory Board) 

Why is housing so expensive—and what can we actually do about it? Schuetz unpacks the policy failures driving the crisis and offers pragmatic, politically viable solutions rooted in economic insight.

Golden Gates – Conor Dougherty

(Published February 18, 2020)

(mentions the start of the YIMBY movement, relevant to California YIMBY, a 2019 Ivory Prize finalist) 

Part storytelling, part policy critique, this book follows housing activists and political battles in the Bay Area. A human-centered look at how even well-meaning cities can fail to provide enough housing—and what it takes to change that.

Housing the Nation – Edited by Alexander Gorlin and Victoria Newhouse

(Published March 26, 2024)

(President at Community Solutions, a 2022 Ivory Prize finalist); Mark Ginsberg (Partner at Curtis+ Ginsberg, a 2021 Ivory Prize winner); and Rusty Smith (Associate Director at Rural Studio, a 2022 Ivory Prize finalist) 

A big-picture, policy-forward vision for a national housing strategy. This collection outlines a holistic framework to ensure that everyone has access to a stable, affordable home—drawing from data, practice, and real-world examples.

Key to the City – Sara Bronin

(Published October 1, 2024)

(founder of the National Zoning Atlas, a 2024 Ivory Prize winner) 

A powerful deep dive into zoning and land use law, Bronin makes a compelling case for rewriting the rules that shape our neighborhoods. With clarity and nuance, she shows how legal structures can enable—or block—more equitable, sustainable cities.

Missing Middle Housing – Daniel Parolek

(Published July 14, 2020)

(Dan Parolek founded Opticos Design, a former Ivory Prize nominee) 

Explores the housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings—like duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard apartments—that can reintroduce gentle density and affordability into cities. Packed with visuals and design-forward thinking.

The High Cost of Free Parking – Donald Shoup

(Published June 21, 2011)

(Donald Shoup founded the Parking Reform Network, a former Ivory Prize nominee)

A classic that reveals how parking policy shapes urban form, inflates housing costs, and wastes public space. Shoup shows how smarter pricing and planning could transform cities for the better.