The Long-run Impacts of Zoning the Suburbs

Restrictive zoning is associated with the lack of affordable housing and persistent racial segregation. However, understanding the direct impacts of zoning has been limited due to a lack of historical data. Economists Tate Twinam, Ryan Gallagher and Allison Shertzer will examine the impact of land use controls on housing development, housing stock, and housing affordability from 1920 through 1970. They will create a dataset of zoning regulations in Cook County, Illinois for their study.