How Better Zoning Rules Could Help Housing Affordability

What is the National Zoning Atlas?

America has a shortage of affordable housing. That much is known. One way cities can try to address this issue is through zoning laws, something that’s already being done in cities like Houston.

Every town in the U.S. gets to make its own rules when it comes to zoning rules, which has resulted in 30,000 different sets of zoning rules across the country. A new research project called the National Zoning Atlas is looking to make America’s zoning policies more transparent and accessible by compiling them in a single database.

Clarity and Change

Zoning is a bigger deal than many people realize. It has contributed to the ongoing housing shortage and affordability crisis by limiting the location, type and number of new homes that can be built. At the same time, the complexity and variability of zoning policies obscure potential solutions to those problems. A central database might make it easier to identify ways to improve them.

To date, the National Zoning Atlas includes 2,000 jurisdictions populated by some 35 million people. It has already helped advocates for zoning reform in states like Montana, which is experiencing a post-pandemic population boom, illustrate clearly how other states have effectively used zoning to bring down prices, avoid urban sprawl, and sustainably grow cities.

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