Do inclusionary zoning policies equitably disperse affordable housing? A comparative spatial analysis

This article examines the impact of inclusionary zoning (IZ) policies on the production and spatial distribution of low-income housing at the neighborhood level. Using an original, geo-coded property-specific database of more than 11,000 IZ units built between 1980 and 2000 in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Suffolk County, New York, this study provides the first evidence of the locational determinants of IZ unit production and spatial clustering by census tracts. Using a comparative analytic approach, the impact of institutional framework—more specifically, the difference between jurisdictions with regional versus local housing and land use authority—is examined in relation to the effectiveness of IZ programs in promoting an equitable dispersal of low-income housing units. This analysis provides evidence of spatial concentrations of IZ units built between 1980 and 2000, although the characteristics of neighborhoods in which clustering occurs differ between the two study areas.