Land Use, Local Control, and the Housing Crisis

The following article is informed by the above article from the Denver Post.

Like many places across the country, Colorado needs help finding the best path forward to address its statewide housing shortage. Just as it is not alone in facing a housing crisis, it is also seeking to use the most prominent tool in its legal toolbox to boost the housing supply while easing the cost of housing burden many Coloradans bear. As the legislative season picks up, the debate around addressing these concerns has become a prominent focus of Colorado state legislators who are debating whether or not to exert state control over what has historically been the purview of local governments. This debate highlights the tension between state-level preemptive measures and “home rule,” wherein the state may have legitimate goals regarding housing related to jobs, transportation, and the environment.?

The debate here is already happening in communities across the country. It is ongoing in neighboring Arlington County, and the debate continues as the states and local governments craft solutions to particular community challenges and opportunities. As the crisis deepens, it raises crucial questions about the appropriate level from which to approach the problem. Is it best to address the locality by locality, as each jurisdiction is most intimately aware of its unique spatial and economic circumstances? Let local knowledge produce local solutions.?

Or should the crisis be tackled at the state, regional, or national level? As the need for housing crosses jurisdictions, a broader vision is needed to unlock solutions that can address the problem at the scale of the problem. States and regions are just as concerned as municipalities about the negative impacts of housing crises. If the pain grows too large, it may not be able to be addressed solely with local actions. Do you know which approach is best? Local control or higher-level intervention? I admit that I need to learn the best path forward, and I am not unsympathetic to the arguments for local solutions. Still, I think that represents the thinking about land use that led to this crisis, and if the status quo results in problems, then we must try new approaches.