Reducing the Development Costs of Housing: Actions for State and Local Governments

摘要

Over 400 experts and decisionmakers met in early 1979 to discuss high costs of land associated with housing production and to identify steps that State and local governments can take to stabilize or reduce these costs; this report is the product of that conference. It provides background material on land supply and development and, in addition, contains papers, speeches, workshop discussions, and a series of conference recommendations. Much of the conference was focused on five workshops with the following themes: (1) improving development standards in fringe areas, (2) increasing the supply of land inefringe areas, (3) improving the supply of land in fringe areas, (4) improving central city development standards and increasing the supply of land and buildings, (5) allocation of development costs, and (6) improving permit procedures. A research paper was submitted for each of the themes. Speakers and authors of research included HUD Secretary Harris, chairperson of HUD's housing committee, several representatives of local government, a private developer, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, representatives of the Urban Institute and of the American Planning Association, and several university - based experts on urban planning and housing. Conference recommendations, based on proceedings and on a survey of 158 State and local officials and private sector developers who had attended the conference, and citizens, included these suggestions: (1) development costs should be allocated among persons and firms in the community according to the degree by which they would benefit from the service or facility, (2) permit procedures should be simplified and accelerated through standardization, and (3) land use plans and public improvement programs should reflect consideration of the impact of development constraints on land supply and housing costs. Tables and photographs are included, with survey data and a list of conference attendees appended.