In Praise of Shaun Donovan

I didn't get a chance to comment on this last week, but I wanted to mention that Obama couldn't have picked a better nominee for HUD Secretary. Shaun Donovan is absolutely top-notch. There's probably no area of policy I know more about than affordable housing, so I'm a hard person to please when it comes to nominating a HUD Secretary. But I was overjoyed when I heard that Obama had nominated Donovan. He has a deep knowledge of housing policy, both at the federal and state level. Most importantly, he understands better than anyone the importance of zoning, density, and multifamily housing.

Donovan will inherit a truly dysfunctional HUD, but if there's anyone who can refocus HUD's attention onto the issues that actually the provision of affect affordable housing, it's Donovan.