New Tools for Understanding the Effects of State Housing Reforms

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Housing affordability has become a critical policy priority for state lawmakers nationwide. Many metropolitan areas, as well as smaller localities, continue to have restrictive zoning and land use regulations that contribute to housing shortages and rising costs. In response, states are exploring various policy interventions, from setting housing production targets for local governments, to preempting local land use regulations that limit density and stymie the diversity of housing types, to cutting fees and local permitting discretion. Many of the new state interventions have passed with bipartisan support. The pioneering states include both "blue states" with high housing costs (e.g., California), and "red states" where prices have not escalated as much (e.g., Montana, Florida, Texas). This panel features new research developing datasets and tools for understanding the effects of these reforms.

Policy Area

• Housing, Community Development, and Urban Policy

Secondary Policy Area

• Methods and Tools of Analysis

Chair

• Nicholas J. Marantz, University of California Irvine

Discussants

• Christopher S Elmendorf, University of California, Davis

• James Donald Macek, Alberta School of Business

Organizer

• Christopher S Elmendorf, University of California, Davis

Individual Presentations

• Cataloguing How States are Reforming Their Land Use Systems to Meet Housing Goals - Presenting Author: Vicki L. Been, New York University

• Building a National Housing Permits Database - Presenting Author: Michael Hankinson, George Washington University

• A Framework for Evaluating State Housing Policy Reforms - Presenting Author: Jenny Schuetz, Arnold Ventures

• Diversifying the Suburbs: Rental Supply and Spatial Inequality - Presenting Author: Konhee Chang, Federal Reserve Board