Urbanizing for Equity: Harnessing Upzones as a Redistributive Policy Tool

Rachel Fyall
University of Washington

Alexander Casey
Zillow

Alternative land use policies are needed to ensure equitable housing. This article explores the often lottery-like characteristics of significant land value increases that certain property owners realize following local zoning changes. Traditionally, property owners enjoy a financial windfall from land use modifications when provided the opportunity to redevelop to a higher density or sell to a developer. We propose an alternative policy that enables cities to capture a portion of this land value increase in order to fund housing equity priorities.