Residential Land-Use Regulation in Eastern Massachusetts: A Study of 187 Communities

Local housing regulations concerning zoning, road design and installation, and the environment play a fundamental role in housing development in Massachusetts. National studies have indicated that in some regions of the country, including Massachusetts, municipalities have used regulations to restrict the supply of housing, thus driving up prices. Since as far back as 1969, when Massachusetts policymakers passed Chapter 40B, the “Anti-Snob Zoning Ac,” policymakers have been concerned that municipal zoning does not allow the market to meet the range of housing needs, particularly for low-income households. More recently, “smart growth” advocates have argued that local regulations favorted low-desnsity residential development are causing the loss of forest and agricultural land in ecologically sensitive areas in Massachusetts. Yet, despite the persistence of debates about land-use regulation, analysts have lacked systematic data on the issue: each Massachusetts’ 351 municipalities writes its own land-use regulations, and it is no easy task to compare them across localities. The Pioneer/Rappaport study provides a first-of-its-kind research tool for analysts to take a systematic and comparative look at local regulations.

Residential Land-Use Regulation in Eastern Massachusetts: A Study of 187 Communities