| Regulatory
Barriers Conference Roundtable Summary
Steven P. Hornburg
Principal, Emerging Community Markets
The summary session highlighted the political economy of
regulatory barriers that face reform advocates. Local governments
that promote regulatory barriers are, in fact, often responding
to the perceived desires of their electorate. No level of
government is in a position or willing to take on this powerful
local dynamic. What state government wants to get involved
in local land use disputes?
Federal influence is dilute, as authority for localities
to regulate land use is mostly defined and controlled by states.
To an extent, some argue that federal programs, such as the
Community Development Block Grant program and HOME, can be
used as leverage to coerce localities into reducing regulatory
barriers. But, if the locality is using regulatory barriers
already to discourage the development of affordable housing,
federal programs that promote affordable housing might not
be a high priority in the first place.
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