Environmental Regulations and Housing Costs

Many communities across the nation still lack affordable housing. And many officials continue to claim that “affordable housing” 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.

Arthur C. Nelson is Presidential Professor of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah.

John Randolph is a professor at Virginia Tech, where he directs the program in urban affairs and planning.

Joseph M. Schilling is a research professor at Virginia Tech.

Jonathan Logan is the design coordinator of the Rochester (New York) Regional Community Design Center.

James M. McElfish Jr. is director of the Sustainable Use of Land Program at the Environmental Law Institute.

Newport Partners, LLC is a consulting company based in Davidsonville, Maryland.