Controlling growth smartly: An overview of the impact of growth boundaries and greenbelts on affordable housing

Rachel Jones, Yunwoo Nam

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This chapter presents a review of the existing research and various opinions on the impact of the growth controls of green belts and growth boundaries on affordability of housing. Second, an examination of two case studies, Portland, Oregon and Seoul, Korea, with a growth boundary and a green belt, respectively, highlights policies that seem to both help and hinder the coexistence of growth control with affordable housing prices. Finally, a review of possible housing affordability policies gives some idea on how these policies might be used in tandem with a growth control tool in order to ameliorate any effects. It is concluded that there is a great deal of complexity involved in comparing various cities and regions to one another because of different housing markets and regulations. It is also quite difficult to isolate the effects of planning policy on housing prices from the impact of local and regional housing market trends. Though there is a great deal of evidence that these two forms of growth control do have a negative impact on housing affordability, there is still some disagreement. Efforts may be better redirected at this stage from the difficult task of isolating the effects of the growth controls and certain policies on housing prices, into an effort to further develop policies that will automatically and seamlessly integrate protections of affordable housing with effective growth control.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationTowards Green Growth and Low-Carbon Urban Development
PublisherNova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages149-165
Number of pages17
ISBN (Print)9781624178580
StatePublished - 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Environmental Science
  • General Social Sciences

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