A shortage of affordable housing is forcing Americans to stay where they are even when their communities have a shortage of jobs. It would be expected that more people would move from areas of high unemployment to where jobs are more plentiful, but zoning and land use regulations in some economically vibrant areas are significant factors in making housing unaffordable, according to a commentary at Economics21.org. In California, regulations add $50,000 to the price of new home construction, and New York City regulations increase housing prices by 134%, the article says.
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