A Comprehensive Survey of the Scope and Effects of Land Use Policy in California

A survey of land use policies in cities and counties of California is designed to inform a more complete understanding of the housing market, sustainability, and economic mobility in the state.

1 minute read

February 6, 2019, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


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"The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley has published the California Land Use Data Set, a comprehensive survey which looks at policies that affect the production, location, and preservation of housing in the state at the jurisdiction-level," according to an announcement from the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design.

The survey collected data from August 2017 to October 2018, working in partnership with the California Department of Housing and Community Development. "The data set includes survey responses from 252 cities and 19 unincorporated county areas, and touches on issues from how land is zoned for different uses to the process a project goes through to get approved to policies aimed at producing affordable housing."

The survey "considers the effects of local land use policy on the supply of housing in a region, as well as its effects on sustainability, economic mobility, and access to neighborhoods and opportunity," according to the announcement. "It will help citizens and policy makers alike understand how cities in California are approaching the use of their land, and with what effect on the quantity, accessibility, and affordability of their housing."

The survey results are supplemented by a report [pdf] that provides several frames for understanding the results of the survey.

Monday, February 4, 2019 in UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design

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