Compare policies, side by side.

Rent control and zoning reform address the housing affordability crisis through opposite mechanisms: one constrains price on existing stock, the other expands the quantity of stock. They are frequently presented as mutually exclusive, but the evidence suggests they address different aspects of the problem. Rent control provides immediate, targeted relief for specific households already in the market. Zoning reform addresses the underlying scarcity that makes rent control seem necessary in the first place. A city that upzones aggressively but does nothing for existing tenants being displaced may achieve long-run affordability while causing short-run harm to vulnerable households. A city that imposes rent control without addressing supply constraints will protect incumbents while making the housing market progressively worse for everyone else. Neither tool, alone, is sufficient.