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The Political Economy of Downzoning

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  • Gottlieb, Paul D.
  • Adelaja, Adesoji O.

Abstract

Increasingly, in response to concerns about urban sprawl and environmental protection, local governments are exercising their police power to reduce the legal permitted density on undeveloped land. This controversial practice, known in many parts of the country as "downzoning", is generally opposed by farmers, developers and others whose market opportunities are limited by such action. This paper constructs a theoretical model of the impact of larger minimum lot sizes on the current land prices of farmers and homeowners within the same community. The theoretical model suggests that net losses for farmers and net gains for homeowners from downzoning are a reasonable, if not inevitable, expectation. Following Pelzman, Hahn, and Campos, the paper then develops a model to explain the public choice decision-making process that leads to downzoning by local public officials. This model is tested using data on 214 New Jersey municipalities. The probability of downzoning is found to increase when there is a lot of open space to protect, but only when farmers constitute a small proportion of all voters. The probability of downzoning also increases when a community has experienced rapid population growth and increased land values. It is more likely to be found in municipalities that have enacted right-to-farm ordinances, suggesting an overall preservation focus on the part of the community along with some sensitivity to farmers' concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Gottlieb, Paul D. & Adelaja, Adesoji O., 2004. "The Political Economy of Downzoning," 2004 Annual meeting, August 1-4, Denver, CO 20098, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea04:20098
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.20098
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    1. Adelaja, Adesoji O. & Gottlieb, Paul D., 2009. "The Political Economy of Downzoning," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 38(2), pages 1-19, October.
    2. Gottlieb, Paul D. & O’Donnell, Anthony & Rudel, Thomas & O’Neill, Karen & McDermott, Melanie, 2012. "Determinants of local housing growth in a multi-jurisdictional region, along with a test for nonmarket zoning," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 296-309.
    3. Maria A. Cunha‐e‐Sá & Sofia F. Franco, 2017. "The Effects of Development Constraints on Forest Management at the Urban‐Forest Interface," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 99(3), pages 614-636, April.
    4. Black, Katie Jo, 2018. "Wide open spaces: Estimating the willingness to pay for adjacent preserved open space," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 110-121.
    5. Kling, Hannah KM, 2020. "Land-Use Regulations As Exclusion: A GIS Analysis," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 50(1), February.
    6. Amponsah, Owusu & Blija, Daniel Kwame & Ayambire, Raphael Anammasiya & Takyi, Stephen Appiah & Mensah, Henry & Braimah, Imoro, 2022. "Global urban sprawl containment strategies and their implications for rapidly urbanising cities in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).

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