Wendell Cox Blames Planners for Housing Crisis

Smart Growth opponent Wendell Cox clamors that land use regulations imposed by Smart Growth exacerbate the ongoing housing woes.

1 minute read

June 20, 2011, 9:00 AM PDT

By Jeff Jamawat


Matthew Strozier of the Wall Street Journal covers a report by Cox for the National Center for Policy Analysis, in which Cox argues that "[t]he housing price bubble was concentrated in areas with restrictive land use policies."

Strozier summarizes the report: "Mr. Cox argues that the housing bust was concentrated in 'prescriptively regulated' areas, or those with extensive barriers to development. These differ from 'responsively regulated' metro areas, which allow development to meet demand."

Patrick Phillips of the Urban Land Institute is brought in to represent the pro-smart growth side. He says, "...it's specious to pin the housing bubble on smart growth."

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 in The Wall Street Journal

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