EconTalk Jenny Schuetz on Land Regulation and the Housing Market
13 snips
Mar 30, 2020 Jenny Schuetz, a Fellow at the Brookings Institution, discusses the complexities of land use and housing. She highlights how zoning laws hinder real estate development and contribute to housing shortages. The challenges developers face with community opposition and bureaucratic hurdles are explored in detail. Schuetz critiques existing regulations that perpetuate inequality, especially affecting low-income communities. She also advocates for increasing housing supply and revises contrasting policies between cities like Paris and San Francisco, emphasizing the need for effective community engagement.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Regulatory Barriers and Housing Affordability
- Building new homes involves uncertainty and obstacles, especially due to regulatory barriers.
- These barriers increase risk, time, and expense, affecting housing affordability.
Infill Development Challenges
- Infill development, building on existing urban land, is more complex than suburban development.
- Neighbors often resist change, adding to the developer's challenges.
Discretionary Approvals and Unpredictability
- Discretionary approvals by city councils and boards create unpredictability in the development process.
- This differs from a system with clear rules and predictable outcomes.