1 month ago
One of the principal justifications for adoption of more prescriptive land use regulation has been the belief that the resulting higher population densities would reduce future infrastructure costs. However, higher densities require more intense infrastructure and the necessary upgrades are expensive. In fact, the higher housing costs typical of more prescriptively-regulated markets far exceed any conceivable increase in infrastructure costs from allowing demand-driven housing expansion. The loss of housing affordability in Sydney and Melbourne can be traced to their more prescriptive land use regulation, which has virtually eliminated affordable land for building.
»Wendell Cox and Hugh Pavletich, Authors of the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey
