Environmental Regulations and Housing Costs
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Environmental Regulations and Housing Costs

Environmental Regulations and Housing Costs

ISLAND PRESSISBN: 9781597265607
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$115.00
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By Arthur C. Nelson, John Randolph, James M. McElfish, Joseph M. Schilling, Jonathan Logan, LLC Newport Partners
Imprint: ISLAND PRESS
Release Date:
Format: PAPERBACK
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Weight:
Pages: 288

Description

Many communities across the nation still lack affordable housing. And many officials continue to claim that “affordable housinga is an oxymoron. Building inexpensively is impossible, they say, because there are too many regulations. Required environmental impact statements and habitat protection laws, they contend, drive up the costs of construction. But is this actually true? In a comprehensive study of the question, the authors of this eye-opening book separate fact from myth.

 

With admirable clarity, they describe the policy debate from its beginning, review the economic theory, trace the evolution of development regulation, and summarize the major research on the topic. In addition, they offer their own research, accompanied by a case study of two strikingly different Washington, D.C., suburbs. They also include results of focus groups conducted in Dallas, Denver, and Tucson. The authors find that environmental regulatory costs'as a share of total costs and processes'are about the same now as they were thirty years ago, even though there are far more regulations today. They find, too, that environmental regulations may actually create benefits that could improve the value of housing.

 

Although they conclude that regulations do not appear to drive up housing costs more now than in the past, they do offer recommendations of ways in which the processes associated with regulations'including review procedures'could be improved and could result in cost savings. Intended primarily for  professionals who are involved in, or impacted by, regulations'from public officials, planners, and engineers to housing developers and community activists'this book will provide useful insights and data to anyone who wants to know if (and how) American housing can actually be made “affordable.a

Preface
Acknowledgments
 
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Link between Environmental Regulation and Housing Costs
Chapter 2. Existing Research
Chapter 3. Excessive Costs and a Comparison of Historical Changes in Environmental Regulations and Approval Processes
Chapter 4. Case Study: Washington DC, Metropolitan Region
Chapter 5. Key Lessons from the Case Study
Chapter 6. A View from the West
Chapter 7. The Benefits of Environmental Regulations and a Summary of Key Findings
Chapter 8. Assessment, Lessons, and Future Directions
 
Appendix A:  Literature Review References
Appendix B: Chesapeake Bay Program
Appendix C: Outline of Environmental Regulations and Review Processes in Fairfax County, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland
Appendix D: Special References for Cost Reduction and Best Development Practices
Notes
References and Selected Bibliography
Index

Reviews

"A must read for environmentalists and affordable housing providers alike."

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