Title: Zoning: The Nemesis of Housing Affordability – AIER
Headings: Zoning: The Nemesis of Housing Affordability
Zoning: The Nemesis of Housing Affordability
Understanding Zoning Regulations
The Negative Economic Effects of Zoning
Socially Destructive Effects of Zoning
Current Solutions: Half Measures at Best
Give the Free Market a Chance
José Niño

Content: This delays or even outright bans the construction of certain housing units, thus reducing the overall supply of housing. Excessive zoning laws are at the root of the supply problem, which in turn has created housing affordability crises in major cities across the country. When local governments arbitrarily impose land-use restrictions that separate commercial areas from residential areas, it results in a decrease of the housing supply. Consequently, the decreased housing supply leads to price increases in housing — a stark reflection of the perverse effects of zoning restrictions. These observations are not just confined to the theoretical realm of economics. In her piece, Zoning, Land-Use Planning, and Housing Affordability, Cato Institute Scholar Vanessa Brown-Calder illustrates how increased zoning regulation is associated with the rise of real average home prices in 36 states. Generally speaking, the states that increased land-use regulations the most tend to have higher housing prices. Socially Destructive Effects of Zoning
More than just byzantine economic figures and numbers, onerous zoning regulations also have questionable effects on social cohesion. In the Death and Life of American Cities, Jane Jacobs famously coined the planning term “Eyes on the street,” where the presence of people in mixed-use areas could keep criminals at bay and prevent them from committing crimes at will. The major challenge in creating such a dynamic is that current zoning codes throughout the nation hinder the development of such a mixed-use environment.