IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_12786.html

Local Land-Use Regulations: Incentives for Adoption and Desirability of State-Level Override Laws

Author

Listed:
  • Jan K. Brueckner

Abstract

This paper demonstrates both the local incentives to impose supply-restricting land-use regulations as well as their broader inefficiency, using a theoretical model that is simple and accessible. Although the theme of the paper is somewhat familiar from older work, an updated analysis has value given the striking recent emergence of state-level overrides of local land-use regulations in the US, which the model's social planner would support. These overrides, which are directed at the problem of housing unaffordability, represent an historic phenomenon because regulation of land-use has been the responsibility of local governments in the US for well over a hundred years. As a result, it is important for theoretical analysis to demonstrate their desirability.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan K. Brueckner, 2026. "Local Land-Use Regulations: Incentives for Adoption and Desirability of State-Level Override Laws," CESifo Working Paper Series 12786, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12786
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/cesifo1_wp12786_0.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Greenaway-McGrevy, Ryan & Phillips, Peter C.B., 2023. "The impact of upzoning on housing construction in Auckland," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    2. Engle, Robert & Navarro, Peter & Carson, Richard, 1992. "On the theory of growth controls," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 269-283, November.
    3. Jan K. Brueckner & Sarah Thomaz, 2024. "ADUs in Los Angeles: Where are they located and by how much do they raise property value?," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 52(3), pages 885-907, May.
    4. Büchler, Simon & Lutz, Elena, 2024. "Making housing affordable? The local effects of relaxing land-use regulation," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    5. Wilson, John Douglas, 1999. "Theories of Tax Competition," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 52(2), pages 269-304, June.
    6. Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy, 2023. "The Impact of Upzoning on Housing Construction in Auckland: Extensions and Updated Results," Working Papers 015, University of Auckland, Economic Policy Center (EPC).
    7. Matthew A. Turner & Andrew Haughwout & Wilbert van der Klaauw, 2014. "Land Use Regulation and Welfare," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 82(4), pages 1341-1403, July.
    8. Brueckner, Jan K., 1995. "Strategic control of growth in a system of cities," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 393-416, July.
    9. Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy & Gail Pacheco & Kade Sorensen, 2021. "The effect of upzoning on house prices and redevelopment premiums in Auckland, New Zealand," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(5), pages 959-976, April.
    10. David R. Agrawal & Marie-Laure Breuillé & Julie Le Gallo, 2025. "Tax Competition With Intermunicipal Cooperation," National Tax Journal, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(1), pages 5-43.
    11. Wallace, Nancy E., 1988. "The market effects of zoning undeveloped land: Does zoning follow the market?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 307-326, May.
    12. Parkhomenko, Andrii, 2023. "Local causes and aggregate implications of land use regulation," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    13. Brueckner, Jan K. & Lai, Fu-Chuan, 1996. "Urban growth controls with resident landowners," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 125-143, April.
    14. Hilber, Christian A.L. & Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric, 2013. "On the origins of land use regulations: Theory and evidence from US metro areas," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 29-43.
    15. Helsley, Robert W. & Strange, William C., 1995. "Strategic growth controls," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 435-460, August.
    16. Wilson, John Douglas, 1999. "Theories of Tax Competition," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 52(n. 2), pages 269-304, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gyourko, Joseph & Molloy, Raven, 2015. "Regulation and Housing Supply," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1289-1337, Elsevier.
    2. Lozano, Francisco Javier, 2025. "Elasticidad de los precios de viviendas frente a regulaciones urbanas: Evidencia por el lado de la oferta en Santiago, Chile [How sensitive are housing prices to urban regulations? Supply-side evidence from Santiago, Chile]," MPRA Paper 127133, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Ehrlich, Maximilian V. & Hilber, Christian A.L. & Schöni, Olivier, 2018. "Institutional settings and urban sprawl: Evidence from Europe," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 4-18.
    4. Parkhomenko, Andrii, 2023. "Local causes and aggregate implications of land use regulation," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    5. Kangoh Lee, 2003. "Factor Ownership and Governmental Strategic Interaction," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 5(2), pages 345-361, April.
    6. Boaz Nandwa & Laudo Ogura, 2013. "Local urban growth controls and regional economic growth," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 51(3), pages 659-670, December.
    7. von Bergmann, Jens & Davidoff, Thomas & Lauster, Nathan & Somerville, Tsur, 2025. "Upzoning and redevelopment: The details matter," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Ogura, Laudo M., 2005. "Urban growth controls and intercity commuting," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 371-390, May.
    9. John F. McDonald & Daniel P. McMillen, 2004. "Determinants of Suburban Development Controls: A Fischel Expedition," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(2), pages 341-361, February.
    10. Camilo Andrés Acosta Mejía, 2021. "The Incidence of Land Use Regulations," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 19223, Universidad EAFIT.
    11. Miriam Hortas-Rico, 2015. "Sprawl, Blight, And The Role Of Urban Containment Policies: Evidence From U.S. Cities," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 298-323, March.
    12. Jou, Jyh-Bang, 2012. "Efficient growth boundaries in the presence of population externalities and stochastic rents," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 349-357.
    13. Jyh-Bang Jou, 2014. "Determinants of Efficient Growth Boundaries with Balanced Budgets and Stochastic Rents," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 93-111, March.
    14. Kanemoto, Yoshitsugu, 2000. "Price and quantity competition among heterogeneous suppliers with two-part pricing: applications to clubs, local public goods, networks, and growth controls," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 587-608, December.
    15. Brueckner, Jan K., 1998. "Testing for Strategic Interaction Among Local Governments: The Case of Growth Controls," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 438-467, November.
    16. Donovan Stuart & Matthew Maltman, 2024. "Dispelling myths: Reviewing the evidence on zoning reforms in Auckland," Motu Working Papers 24_07, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    17. Bischoff, Ivo & Das, Sourav & Kosfeld, Reinhold, 2025. "Does inter-municipal cooperation reduce the intensity of tax competition? Evidence on inter-local industrial parks in Germany," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    18. Fran?ois Ortalo-Magn? & Andrea Prat, 2014. "On the Political Economy of Urban Growth: Homeownership versus Affordability," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 6(1), pages 154-181, February.
    19. Francois Ortalo-Magne & Andrea Prat, 2007. "The Political Economy of Housing Supply:Homeowners, Workers, and Voters," STICERD - Theoretical Economics Paper Series 514, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE.
    20. Donovan, Stuart & Maltman, Matthew, 2025. "Dispelling myths: Reviewing the evidence on zoning reforms in Auckland," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12786. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.