The Abundance Agenda

I’m not an expert on the Abundance Agenda, but I’m fascinated by it. I want to explore how this approach could benefit smaller towns like Easley and other cities in South Carolina’s District 3 (and beyond).

At its core, the Abundance Agenda is about unlocking supply—removing unnecessary barriers that make everyday life more expensive. It’s a way to appeal to both the left and the right. Instead of simply handing out benefits (which conservatives criticize), you cut red tape to allow more goods, services, and opportunities to be created faster and more efficiently (which conservatives love). At the same time, progressives should support this because it lowers costs and expands access to essential needs like housing, transportation, and education.

So the key question is: How do we unlock supply?

Housing: Faster, Cheaper, & Available

Look at Easley. The population has jumped from 24,000 in 2022 to nearly 28,000 today, and housing prices are climbing fast. A third of homes are between $200,000 and $300,000, with another 15% between $300,000 and $400,000—and these numbers will only go up.

If we want affordable housing, we need to ask whether zoning reform is necessary. That means:

Removing outdated regulations that slow down construction
Making permitting faster and more efficient.
Cutting permit delays—because six months of waiting adds thousands to home prices.
Allowing more duplexes, apartments, and mixed-use developments to be built where people need them.

Zoning reform doesn’t mean ignoring environmental concerns, water resources, or the need for trees and public spaces. None of that should be bypassed. It simply means making the process more efficient, practical, and achievable while still prioritizing the community’s needs. Every decision must consider our surroundings, environmental impact, and the voices of local constituents.

If it takes 1.5 years to sell a home instead of 1 year, that extra delay drives up costs. The sooner homes hit the market, the more affordable they are.

Moving People More Efficiently

Transportation ties directly into affordability. If you can easily get to work, you save money. If businesses can transport goods faster and cheaper, prices drop.

Reduce unnecessary toll roads. If we can eliminate them without raising taxes, let’s do it.
Expand public transit. Easley has a bus route to Greenville, but almost no one knows about it. Let’s advertise it, expand it, and make it more useful. Let’s make it less of a stigma to take public transportation in general. We have great weather here in South Carolina, let’s promote some more outdoor walking.
Make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Add bike lanes. Extend sidewalks. If people can walk safely, they’ll use their cars less. Less car usage means less congestion, fewer potholes, and lower maintenance costs.

Small changes add up. And over 20–30 years, these changes transform cities. Your kids can be walking to school for the next 10 years instead of you putting wear and tear on your car, clogging up streets, and raising insurance costs.

Small Businesses

Starting a business shouldn’t be a bureaucratic nightmare. Let’s streamline business permits, cut unnecessary regulations, and open up coworking spaces in empty lots to attract entrepreneurs. People complain about population growth, but what if new residents worked remotely instead of adding to traffic?

Education for Everyone

Education should be about access, not obstacles. Unlock education access.

Make vocational training more affordable and accessible. Welding, plumbing, and electrical work pay well—why make it hard to learn these trades?
Embrace AI tools. AI is here, and it’s not going away. Every student should have access to AI-powered tutors through platforms like Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare.
Support online education. The future isn’t just traditional college—it’s flexible, accessible, and practical learning.

Long-Term: Small Wins Add Up

City councils must start thinking beyond short election cycles. Every policy should be viewed as a 30+ year investment.

If we don’t act now, where will we be in 2040? If your kids could safely walk to school instead of needing a ride every day, what is that worth to you over a decade?

This Abundance Agenda can be a practical strategy for building better cities. We don’t need a perfect solution. We need a 70% solution that moves us in the right direction.

The Abundance Agenda isn’t about handouts—it’s about unlocking supply and making life easier for everyone. If we remove the barriers that artificially drive up costs, we create opportunities instead of obstacles.

I challenge city leaders, county officials, and South Carolina’s House representatives to take this idea seriously. Let’s stop debating over whether we need more housing, better transportation, and stronger education—we know we do. The question is: What’s stopping us from making it happen?