Priced out of the American dream
From Harvard Thinking by Harvard University
April 1, 2026 · 34 min · Season 1 · Episode 25
About this episode
This episode discusses the challenges of home ownership for middle-class Americans amidst rising home prices and slow housing development.
Owning a home feels increasingly unattainable for many middle-class Americans. Last year, home prices surged to nearly five times the median income. Yet the pace of building new housing, which could create more affordability, remains slow. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with urban economist Ed Glaeser, former CEA chair Jason Furman, and innovative housing expert Amy Tomasso about how those hoping to buy can make sense of the current housing crisis.
People in this episode
Host: Samantha Laine Perfas
Guests: Ed Glaeser, Jason Furman, Amy Tomasso
Topics covered
- housing crisis
- affordability
- urban economics
- middle-class
- home ownership
Keywords
- housing
- American dream
- home prices
- urban economist
- affordability
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Harvard University
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