Local Housing Discretion and the Affordability Override
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT The crucial issue in housing policy is the appropriate degree of community discretion over housing development. I develop an improved account of the normative value of community discretion, building on the literature on gentrification. This shows that community discretion does have genuine value. But more community discretion tends to lead to higher housing prices, which are themselves a significant cause of gentrification and other harms. We need policies that appropriately reflect this tension. Land value taxation is one good approach; I suggest that a novel policy, the ‘affordability override’, is even better.
Source: Journal of Applied Philosophy
DOI: 10.1002/japp.70148
Author: Travis Quigley
Institution: Wake Forest University
Language: English
Topic: Housing Market and Economics
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,980
OpenAlex ID: W7225664245