No American metropolis has intervened in its housing market quite as aggressively as New York since World War II - and yet none is as burdened by the scarcity, poor quality, uneven distribution, and high cost of its rental housing stock. Why, after half a century of rent control, public housing programs, tax abatements, and land use regulation, is it so difficult for thousands of New Yorkers to find, rent, or maintain decent apartments? Addressing issues that are hotly debated in the Big Apple and other cities across the nation, Peter Salins and Gerard Mildner analyze New York's policies and...