Allowing smaller lots and simpler approvals for infill housing (duplexes, triplexes, backyard houses) can unlock significant new supply within existing neighborhoods without large subsidy programs. The approach leans on permit simplification, relaxed minimum‑lot rules, and faster approvals to lower developer costs and speed delivery of affordable units.
— This reframes the housing affordability debate toward regulatory fixes that many cities can implement quickly, shifting political fights from subsidies to zoning and permitting power.
Michael C. Munger
2026.09.30
82% relevant
Munger’s anecdote and critique of neighbors blocking a 20‑acre subdivision illustrates the supply‑restriction dynamics that small‑lot or denser zoning reforms aim to address: the article shows how status‑quo hearings convert privately available land into de facto permanently preserved scenery, reducing the housing units that small‑lot zoning would enable.
John Ketcham
2026.04.29
100% relevant
City Journal op‑ed (Manhattan Institute/John Ketcham) urging easing building rules for New York rather than expanding subsidies — the article names small‑lot rule changes as the specific policy lever.
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