The Height Act is up for debate again in Washington, D.C., amidst an emotional debate about housing affordability.
Martin Austermuhle reports on a new of questions connecting the D.C. Height Act with skyrocketing housing prices.
For the past 110 years, a federal law known as the Height Act has set a limit on how tall buildings in the city can be. Supporters of the law say it has created an iconic and eminently livable city free of skyscrapers that can create concrete canyons and cast ever-present shadows along streets and homes.
Others, however, say there's a link between the Height Act and the quickly rising cost of rent in the nation's capital.
The article includes a primer on the D.C. Height Act, which includes a few surprises if you've ever been privy to some of the (false) folklore on the subject. Also included are sections devoted to discussing the height act with Christopher Leinberger, prominent local supporters of the height act, and the ongoing debate about how to control housing prices in the District—Height Act reform or not.
Read the full story: Low Skyline, High Prices: Would Taller Buildings Help Make Housing Cheaper In D.C.?
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority