Responding to a report by the Washington Post that office rents have now topped those in Manhattan, Matt Yglesias says the district's austere zoning is to blame.
Yglesias argues that the perceived aesthetic benefits of building height restrictions are inconsequential compared broader economic development impacts. Forbidden from building up, developers instead build out, sending jobs and residents to the suburbs, he says. The result is fewer retail sales and associated service-sector jobs for low-skill DC residents as well as lost sales and income tax revenue for the city.
In general, cities should be mindful of unintended effects of land use policies, Yglesias writes:
'Rules which mandate that the space be used inefficiently are extremely costly. Sometimes it's a price worth paying-you wouldn't want a city with zero parks-but there are limits to how much it makes sense to sacrifice for aesthetics.'
FULL STORY: Yglesias: The High Price of Short Buildings

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

OKC Approves 7.2 Miles of New Bike Lanes
The city council is implementing its BikeWalkOKC plan, which recommends new bike lanes on key east-west corridors.

Preserving Houston’s ‘Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing’
Unsubsidized, low-cost rental housing is a significant source of affordable housing for Houston households, but the supply is declining as units fall into disrepair or are redeveloped into more expensive units.

The Most Popular Tree on Google?
Meet Rodney: the Toronto tree getting rave reviews.
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