How Market Actors Respond to Upzoning: Qualitative Evidence from Durham, North Carolina

How Market Actors Respond to Upzoning:
Qualitative Evidence from Durham, North Carolina

Since 2021, researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill and UC-San Diego have been interviewing market actors (e.g., homeowners, developers, builders) in Durham, North Carolina to learn about their experiences using a new "upzoning" policy to build denser housing types (e.g., accessory dwelling units (ADU), small-lot homes) in neighborhoods formerly zoned for single-family homes only. The preliminary findings of these interviews suggest that, even after upzoning, local regulations can hinder development of dense homes. Further, only a small cross-section of market actors may be incentivized to build denser homes under upzoning policies. As this presentation will describe, these findings provide important lessons to states and municipalities that are interested in using upzoning policies to promote housing affordability, foster equitable growth, and alleviate gentrification pressures.  LEF is gratefully acknowledged for providing funding for this research.

Mai Thi Nguyen

Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the Design Lab at the University of California

Mai Thi Nguyen is a Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego. She is an award-winning researcher and teacher. Her research focuses on social and spatial equity and examines planning and policy topics elated to housing, immigration, and climate change.  She is passionate about designing cities that are just and equitable. She has served on major national leadership roles, including Board Chair for the Urban Affairs Association, President of the Faculty Women’s Interest Group for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and founder and administrator of Planners 2040, a Facebook discussion group with a membership of over 2400 planners across the globe.

Atticus Jaramillo

PhD candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Atticus Jaramillo is a PhD candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on how federal, state, and local housing policy and planning influence the lifelong outcomes of low-income families, with a particular focus on health, economic, and neighborhood outcomes. He is currently a Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellow with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and previously worked as a researcher for a variety of housing and community development organizations, including the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Minnesota Housing Partnership, and Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.