Cooped Up: Quantifying the Cost of Housing Restrictions

In this new paper, we present the UK’s first calculation of the cost of restrictions on densifying our cities to the UK economy. Written by Adam Smith Institute Next Generation Fellow Duncan McClements and Jason Hausenloy, it is intended to demonstrate the destructive effects of Britain’s planning regulations.This paper classes the removal of restrictions as allowing owners of existing dwellings to redevelop their properties so they are up to 8 stories tall.