Barriers to Affordable Housing: Are Land-Use Controls the Scapegoat?

Abstract

The accusation that land-use regulations are barriers to affordable housing has flared up again with the deepening affordable housing crisis in America. Unlike rushes of criticism in the past,¹ however, this one is followed by a strong, growing momentum for land-use controls to be repealed, or at least severely cut back, because of their impact on the price of housing. Responses from advocates of land-use planning and regulation have been clearly inadequate-something more is needed. This article looks at the recent debate renewed by a 1991 federal advisory commission report, some of the criticisms of the report, and the growing scrutiny of land-use regulations for their impact on affordable housing. In addition, this article calls for clarification of the public policy questions involved in the debate.