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Report

How Zoning Policies Affect the Housing Supply: City of Denver Case Study

American Enterprise Institute

May 7, 2024

Summary:
The City of Denver switched to a new zoning code in June 2010. Most areas were upzoned, but some were downzoned. Overall, the policy encouraged housing construction in Denver.

  • Compared to the entire state or the nation, Denver experienced a massive building boom after 2010. Before then, Denver had always been a bit of a laggard in construction activity.
  • We find the same trends for only larger Colorado cities (shown in the appendix).
  • Most of the new units built were townhomes and multifamily units.

Slide deck