Do we know regulatory barriers when we see them? An exploration using zoning and development indicators

Abstract Many studies have demonstrated that zoning by local governments can have adverse effects on housing production and, consequently, on housing affordability. Most of these studies, however, use coarse measures of zoning regulations and thus provide little information about the nature and patterns of zoning itself. As a result, these studies offer little information that is useful in identifying when and where regulatory barriers exist. Gerrit‐Jan Knaap is executive director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Maryland. Stuart Meck is a faculty fellow and director of the Center for Government Services at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Terry Moore is a vice president and the director of planning at ECONorthwest, an economics and planning firm based in Oregon. This article offers a detailed analysis of zoning patterns and housing market performance at the jurisdictional level in three metropolitan areas and provides further evidence that zoning can serve as a barrier to the construction of high‐density, multifamily housing. The analysis also demonstrates that such disaggregated information can be used to identify and perhaps address regulatory barriers to affordability.