Main finding
Auckland's broad upzoning approximately doubled dwelling permits per capita within five years relative to a synthetic comparison.
43,500 of 97,000 permits over six years were attributed to reform
Can Zoning Reform Increase Housing Construction? Evidence from Auckland
Greenaway-McGrevy
Most important limitation
Permits are not completed homes, and the reform-attributed quantity is a counterfactual estimate.
From the publication
Inspect the authors' figure directly
Figure 5 · Synthetic and actual permits per thousand residents
Permits per resident tracked the synthetic comparison before reform, then rose sharply above it.
REDRAWN FROM STUDY DATAFigure 5 · Synthetic and actual permits per thousand residents
| Year | Actual Auckland | No-reform comparison |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.88 | 5.36 |
| 1992 | 4.46 | 4.89 |
| 1993 | 5.17 | 5.31 |
| 1994 | 7.19 | 7.19 |
| 1995 | 6.53 | 6.43 |
| 1996 | 7.34 | 7.45 |
| 1997 | 7.97 | 9.7 |
| 1998 | 6.24 | 7.33 |
| 1999 | 9.06 | 8.29 |
| 2000 | 6.04 | 5.95 |
| 2001 | 6.17 | 5.27 |
| 2002 | 9.24 | 6.41 |
| 2003 | 8.23 | 7.31 |
| 2004 | 8.66 | 7.15 |
| 2005 | 5.2 | 6.04 |
| 2006 | 4.8 | 5.24 |
| 2007 | 3.97 | 4.67 |
| 2008 | 2.54 | 3.26 |
| 2009 | 2.01 | 2 |
| 2010 | 2.05 | 2.32 |
| 2011 | 2.09 | 2.16 |
| 2012 | 2.62 | 2.73 |
| 2013 | 3.76 | 3.54 |
| 2014 | 4.64 | 3.83 |
| 2015 | 5.6 | 4.49 |
| 2016 | 5.99 | 5.35 |
| 2017 | 6.2 | 5.34 |
| 2018 | 7.45 | 4.64 |
| 2019 | 8.76 | 4.56 |
| 2020 | 9.51 | 4.54 |
| 2021 | 11.8 | 5.51 |
| 2022 | 12.26 | 4.05 |
How this study is used
Claims this evidence supports
Reference
Greenaway-McGrevy (2026). “Can Zoning Reform Increase Housing Construction? Evidence from Auckland.”