Harbaugh, William,,Almajed, Mohamed2023-08-182023-08-182023https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2874152 pagesExclusionary zoning policies impose restrictions on the development of housing with the intention or effect of excluding certain groups or classes of people. By favoring certain demographics, such policies can disproportionately affect lower income individuals and minorities by restricting their access to affordable housing. This, in turn, exacerbates income segregation and perpetuates racial discrimination, which widens the socioeconomic gap between affluent and disadvantaged communities. This paper examines the main socioeconomic determinants of exclusionary zoning in American Jurisdictions. Using a comprehensive dataset that combines socioeconomic variables with specific regulation indexes that are intended to proxy for exclusionary zoning, this research employs multiple regression analysis to examine the main predictors of regulatory restrictiveness. The findings indicate that income, race, age, and poverty levels, all play an important role in determining the regulatory restrictiveness of U.S. jurisdictions. Specifically, the results suggest that older and wealthier areas tend to implement stricter regulations to preserve property values, while poorer areas with a higher proportion of people working in manufacturing exhibit lighter regulatory controls. The results also reveal that regulatory restrictiveness decreases in areas with a higher proportion of white residents. The discussion addresses the limitations of this study and emphasizes the need for further research to better understand the complex dynamics between socioeconomic factors and exclusionary zoning.en-USCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Exclusionary zoningSocioeconomic determinantsHousing regulationland use regulationsU.S. jurisdictionsThesis/Dissertation0009-0008-9387-5688