Guest Editor's Introduction

Regina C. Gray
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

As with the articles in this issue, this introduction reflects the views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The theme of this issue's symposium, regulatory innovation and affordable housing, evaluates the extent to which state and local governments are committed to removing barriers to affordable housing. Many of the most restrictive barriers are exclusionary zoning regulations that are permitted under state-enabling legislation and adopted at the local level. The articles in the symposium challenge traditional assumptions about the costs of urban sprawl, the resistance involved in the contemporary planning and review process, and the success and failure of programs that seek to provide solutions to the housing and transportation crises. Many state and local governments recognize the need for more affordable housing. In addition to raising awareness of this issue among fellow citizens through community organizing, our governing partners at the state and local levels have come to believe that restrictive local regulations are part of the problem.