"UNH Professor links Land Conservation to Higher Housing Costs"

"In a report to the NH Association of Realtors last year, Richard England, emeritus professor of economics and natural resources at the University of New Hampshire, tracked this ebb and flow of land to inventory the extent of buildable land in light of the current housing shortage.

“I’m an environmentalist,” said England, but he questions, “is it possible to be too successful when pursuing a worthy goal like land conservation?” Protecting buildable land from development, he explained, bears an opportunity cost, specifically diminished capacity to provide affordable housing. Plentiful economic research, he said, shows that overly strict land-use regulations contribute to rising land values, home prices and rents." Read the full article