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12stTales t1_j23txmi wrote

Zoning in suburbs and towns often restricts building size to single family detached houses. Even in NYC there are some areas like this. Whats left has other zoning restrictions that limit size, bulk, etc and deter housing production

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--A3-- t1_j2c2gpt wrote

But why are these restrictions so widespread and fought for so strongly? It's because people who already own houses have a financial incentive to restrict the creation of new houses. If the supply of housing stays the same but demand increases, the value of what they own skyrockets.

The monetary incentive which leads to NIMBY zoning policies arises from the fact that housing is a commodity.

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