PRESS RELEASE
2.20.02

Contact:
Elizabeth Humphrey, (202) 974-5137

New Study Finds Growth Management
Strategies Promote Housing Affordability

A groundbreaking study, released today by the Brookings Center for Urban and Metropolitan Policy, concludes that well-crafted growth management strategies can promote housing affordability because they tend to diversify and increase the supply of housing in a region.

“The evidence shows that managing growth can not only rein in uncontrolled sprawl but also improve housing choices for all Americans,” said Don Chen, Executive Director of Smart Growth America.

The study, “The Link Between Growth Management and Housing Affordability: The Academic Evidence,” uses the academic literature to refute a standard assertion of smart growth opponents -- that growth management automatically reduces housing affordability.

The study reframes the debate. The authors demonstrate that housing prices are most strongly driven by market demand, and can be expected to rise in any land use regulatory environment. They suggest that the more important question is how different land use strategies perform in terms of producing an ample supply of housing for a variety of income levels.
Growth management performs very well according to this standard when local planners and elected officials focus on the details of implementation.

“To achieve the best economic, environmental, and equitable outcomes, growth management needs to be done right from start to finish. You can’t just pass an ordinance and expect everything to work out,” said Chen. “Good growth management means facilitating responsible development that works for everyone, especially low-income families who have limited choices.”

The report was authored by Arthur C. Nelson and Casey Dawkins of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Rolf Pendall of Cornell University, and Gerrit Knaap of the University of Maryland. It is available at the Brookings Institution’s web site: www.brookings.edu/urban.

Smart Growth America is a national coalition of over 100 groups promoting a better way to grow; one that protects farmland and open space, revitalizes neighborhoods, keeps housing affordable and provides people with more transportation choices.

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