Zoning’s treatment of housing: Analysis from a nationwide sample of places

Abstract

ABSTRACT Advocates of increased housing supply and affordability in the United States have targeted zoning regulations as drivers of housing cost growth, but they lack an understanding of the prevalence and geographical distribution of different types of zoning regulations because few efforts exist to compile zoning data across localities. This study measures the amount of land allocated to different housing types in a random, stratified sample of 90 places of over 10,000 residents across the U.S. Despite our exclusion of smaller communities, we find that variations of single-family zoning are more than three times as common as zoning for three or more units per lot. We also analyze socio-demographic, built environment, and political characteristics of the sampled places in relation to their zoning practices, finding few relationships between place-level characteristics and the shares of land dedicated to different housing types. Our results from a national sample suggest significant variation in zoning practices relative to local demographic characteristics and point to the importance of understanding zoning practices and paths for reform in their local and regional contexts.