What Upzoning Actually Does to Housing

Does upzoning actually lead to more housing?   In this episode, YIMBY Law’s Sonja Trauss sits down with Yonah Freemark, a researcher at the Urban Institute, to discuss his latest research on how upzoning affects housing construction in New York City and Philadelphia.   The conversation explores what makes an upzoning effective, why some zoning changes produce more housing than others, and what Yonah’s earlier research on Chicago taught him about the relationship between zoning, development, and property values. Sonja and Yonah also discuss how new housing affects affordability through “moving chains,” why median rents can obscure people’s actual experiences with housing costs, and why housing supply can have different effects in different types of communities.   They also discuss the relationship between researchers and housing advocates, how YIMBY activism has helped create new opportunities for housing research, and why advocates need both on-the-ground experience and research to make stronger arguments for housing policy.   Yonah Freemark's recent research discussed in this episode: https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/what-made-zoning-reforms-philadelphia-and-new-york-city-impactful Join YIMBY Action's Email List: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/yimby-action-mailing-list Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/join Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/ Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.social Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/