Professor Shelley Saxer, "Land Use Deregulation and Affordable Housing" -- Jotwell

Professor Shelley Ross Saxer's article, "Land Use Deregulation and Affordable Housing," is published in Jotwell. The article is a review of Professor Richard C. Schragger’s article, "The Perils of Land Use Deregulation," 170 U. Pa. L. Rev. 125 (2021).

Excerpt from "Land Use Deregulation and Affordable Housing"

Schragger reminds us that, historically, populations have shifted from the city core to the suburbs and then back to the city as residents who are mobile chase wealth and opportunity and desert the poor and working class. This leaves some areas with plentiful housing (i.e., Detroit) and others with scarcity (i.e., New York City). Instead, he argues that the city should use its power to pursue economic reform without state law preemption and respond to citizens’ economic and social welfare needs in place.

Urban and suburban land markets may see dynamic change as remote work and increased online learning empty office buildings and classrooms. The demand for particular locations may experience rapid transformation, and statewide legislation will inappropriately deal with housing needs as cities become “newly popular and suburbs stagnate” or vice-versa.

Increasingly, local governments are asked to address challenges that could not be confronted at the state or federal level. Efforts to adapt to climate change have required local land use reforms, given the importance of local decisions permitting building in flood zones, hillsides, coastlines, and the wildlife urban interface (WUI).

The complete article may be found at Jotwell