Urban Sprawl and Quality Growth in Ohio
Urban sprawl has surged to the forefront of local policy debate in Ohio. Concerns about the loss of open space, farm productivity, traffic congestion, and rising public-service costs have led [...]
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Regulatory Growth Management Programs: An Analytic Framework
This article develops an analytic framework for evaluating the effectiveness of regulatory growth management programs. First, the literature review assembles a large body of recent research examining the evolution of [...]
The Impact of Building Restrictions on Housing Affordability
The bulk of the evidence marshaled in this paper suggests that zoning, and other land-use controls, are more responsible for high prices where we see them. There is a huge [...]
Smart Growth in Action, Part II: Case Studies in Housing Capacity and Development from Ventura County, California
This report is the second portion of a two-part study that attempts to help fill this void by examining the implementation of growth management techniques in Ventura County, California, a [...]
An Economic History of Zoning and a Cure for its Exclusionary Effects
I outline the twentieth-century history of American zoning to explain how homeowners came to dominate its content and administration in most jurisdictions. Zoning’s original purpose was to protect homeowners in [...]
To Defer Or Not To Defer: Judicial Review Of Zoning Board Decisions In New York
Judicial review is particularly important in the case of special use permits (also known as special exceptions), where a statute or ordinance specifically allows the sought-after use, but zoning boards [...]
Why Have Housing Prices Gone Up?
Since 1950, housing prices have risen regularly by almost two percent per year. Between 1950 and 1970, this increase reflects rising housing quality and construction costs. Since 1970, this increase [...]
A Requiem for Smart Growth?
The most formidable obstacle to smart growth is inertia. Change is hard. And for significant change in urban structure there must be significant change in preferences, politics, institutions, and infrastructure. [...]
Regulation and Property Values: The High Cost of Monopoly
Housing prices are much higher in areas with more stringent regulation. Housing supply is much less responsive to economic incentives in areas with more stringent land use regulation. These analyses [...]
From Traditional to Reformed: A Review of the Land Use Regulations in the Nation’s 50 largest Metropolitan Areas
Local land use regulations help define the character of cities, towns, counties, and entire regions. Zoning, comprehensive plans, infrastructure control, urban containment, building moratoriums, and permit caps can drive development [...]