I’ve long been one of the few economists who defended the appropriateness of well-designed rent regulation laws in NYC and other “superstar” cities with tight housing markets and that are subject to rapid changes in market rents in gentrifying neighborhoods. My active involvement in the issue was primarily during my years as Executive Director of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council of New York (1994-2006). My logic for supporting a “second generation” form of regulation is as follows.