Over the past 30 years, eastern Massachusetts has seen a remarkable combination of rising home prices and declining supply of new homes. Edward L. Glaeser and Bryce A. Ward examine whether reductions in new supply reflect a real lack of land or a response to man-made restrictions on development.
From the Abstract:
Over the past 30 years, eastern Massachusetts has seen a remarkable combination of rising home prices and declining supply of new homes. The reductions in new supply don't appear to reflect a real lack of land, but instead reflect a response to man-made restrictions on development. In this paper, we examine the land-use regulations in greater Boston. There has been a large increase in the number of new regulations, which differ widely over space. Few variables, other than historical density and abundant recreational water, reliably predict these regulations. High lot sizes and other regulations are associated with less construction. The regulations boost prices by decreasing density, but density levels seem far too low to maximize total land value.
From the conclusion:
"Over the last 25 years, greater Boston has seen a remarkable increase in housing prices and a decline in the number of new units. This change reflects increasingly restricted supply. The reduction in supply doesn't reflect an exogenous lack of land. There has been no significant increase in density levels associated with declining construction.
Development is greater in dense places. Lot sizes are increasing, not falling. The value of land when it extends an existing lot is not great. Instead, the decline in new construction and associated increase in price reflects increasing man-made barriers to new construction.
In this paper, we catalog the barriers to new construction. Minimum lot size is the most important of these barriers, but wetlands regulations and septic rules have also become increasingly tough. All barriers have all increased over time, but our ability to explain where they have been adopted is quite limited. The two most important explanatory variables are early twentieth century density patterns which correlate well with current minimum lot sizes and the presence of recreational water which explains water-related rules."
Thanks to Hugh Pavletich
FULL STORY: The Causes and Consequences of Land Use Regulation: Evidence from Greater Boston (PDF, 200KB)

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

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

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites
The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.

Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway
The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot
The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions