With litigation costs escalating due to increasingly stringent zoning regulations, many family-owned development firms are forced out of the market by bigger firms that can afford to pay attorney's fees.
With increasing incomes, demand in the "luxury" homes sector is always high. According to this article, "Month in, month out...attorneys are engaged in dozens of legal battles with local zoning boards, pushing for permission to build in desirable markets." Homebuilders are fast increasing their market share in the new homes market. Thanks to the high cost of litigating with local zoning boards in "desirable" markets, the bigger, more diversified firms, with deeper pockets, are taking over the small, family-owned firms.
"Land -- and specifically land-use regulation -- has grown too costly for little guys to compete."
"Community barriers to building -- whether expressed as 'sustainable' planning rules or as unvarnished snob zoning -- have a lot to do with pushing up the cost of real estate..."
FULL STORY: Housing bubble, zoning boards
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)