To tackle the problem of housing scarcity, it is necessary to reform land use regulations, which limit housing supply and thus drive up the price. One necessary reform is upzoning—allowing more types of housing to be built in more locations. The other is streamlining, that is, changing the approval process to reduce uncertainty and delays for housing development proposals. Though the optimal combination of upzoning and streamlining is uncertain and will likely vary by location, both types of reform will be necessary to achieve housing abundance.
