Land use regulation of residential development is ever-present across the Philadelphia metropolitan area, as it is across the nation. To better understand the exact nature of residential land use regulation and its implications, the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, led by Anita Summers, embarked on a regional and national survey of municipalities. These detailed data were then used to create the Wharton Residential Land Use Regulation Index, to measure the degree of land use control in each jurisdiction.

 

Dr. Antia Summers, who led the project and authored Residential Land-Use Regulation in Philadelphia MSA, presented the findings to the joint membership of the HBA of Chester & Delaware Counties and the HBA of Bucks & Montgomery Counties, on November 7, 2007 at the Reico Kitchen & Bath Showroom.

 

Dr. Summers is a senior research fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania’s Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center. Dr. Summers is highly involved at the University of Pennsylvania and her expertise is very much sought after as she is considered a leading authority on urban economic development and finance and educational efficiency.  

 

As Dr. Summers relayed, the study investigated a variety of influences on the “regulatory scene” for residential housing, including: involvement of different entities on the regulatory process, extent of municipal approvals required, demand/supply of land, prevalence of annual permit limits, minimum lot size requirements, open space/infrastructure cost requirements, increases in cost of lot development over the last decade, length of review times, and effects of pressure groups.

 

The findings of this survey—the Philadelphia MSA is one of the most highly regulated in the country—will come as no surprise to the members of the HBAs. However, the comparative analysis of Philadelphia to other areas of the country can provide a forecast for elected officials and the private sector to determine the best future for development in this area. Dr. Summers called on the governing bodies to begin working together in a regional manner to more effectively regulate and monitor development. More importantly, Dr. Summers concluded that the ballot box will ultimately balance the demands of the private and public sectors.

 

Information from the Seminar: 
 

Residential Land-Use Index (here)