Brookings, October 31, 2019: Is Zoning a Useful Tool or a Regulatory Barrier?
In the past year, a previously obscure topic has drawn new public attention: zoning. Local regulations over how land can be developed are under fire for their role in escalating housing costs. Research shows that overly restrictive zoning makes it hard for developers to build new housing, driving up rents and prices.
State and federal policymakers—including the White House and several of the Democratic presidential candidates—have voiced interest in creating carrots and sticks to nudge local governments into reducing “regulatory barriers,” starting with zoning. But to design policies that are effective at reducing these barriers, we need to answer several questions. How exactly does zoning drive up housing costs? How can we tell whether zoning is excessively restrictive? The answers to these questions are complicated—not unlike zoning laws themselves.
