Zoning restrictions can help to explain why house prices continue to rise.
"Government limits on the supply of new homes have ... also helped push up house prices-especially when inflationover a long period is considered.
...[H]ouses are no ordinary good: when demand for them rises, increasing the supply can be difficult. Not only do they take time to build: building them at all can be hard, owing to planning laws governing the use of land, the density of housing and theheights of buildings.
But that has changed drastically in recent decades in the most populatedparts of the country, such as the north-east coast and California, according to a new paper by Edward Glaeser and Raven Saks, of Harvard University, and Joseph Gyourko, of the University of Pennsylvania. They studied the housing markets ofmore than 300 American cities since 1950 and have pieced togetherevidence of regulation-induced inflation in many places.
...Billions are spentevery year on "affordable housing" schemes, either through grants or byrequiring a certain portion of newly built units to be sold or rented atbelow-market prices. This latter requirement is, in effect, yet another a tax on new building. A more effective and cheaper way to make housing more affordable, he reckons, is to loosen restrictions on new construction. It is inconsistent,surely, for a government to offer help with one hand, while holding backthe supply of housing with the other."
[Editor's note: This article is only available to subscribers, or for a fee. It is included on Planetizen because it is an important article, and some readers may be interested in purchasing the article.]
Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism
FULL STORY: Hobbled housing markets?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Local Governments Sue HUD Over Funding Cuts
A new lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration’s revised guidelines for housing and homelessness assistance funds will decimate key programs.

California Is Retooling its AV Guidelines
The California DMV is proposing a new framework for light- and heavy-duty self-driving trucks that would enhance reporting requirements and pave the way for autonomous commercial fleets.

Proposed Boulder Ballot Measures Call for Impact Fees, Affordable Duplexes
Boulder residents are working to put two housing-related proposals on the November ballot.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions