Zoning reform is increasingly recognised as an important strategy to increase housing affordability and environmental sustainability. Few cities have undertaken significant upzoning of low-density neighbourhoods, making the 2016 Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) probably the most ambitious zoning reform in the world. Parcels zoned for single houses previously dominated Auckland, but three-quarters of them now allow multiple units. Existing studies have documented the building boom that followed this zoning reform, yet the relatively rare case offers additional insights. In this article, we use appraisal, census and zoning data on over 200,000 parcels in Auckland to answer three research questions about the heterogeneous impacts of the AUP. First, to what extent did upzoning increase the appraised value of properties' redevelopment options? Second, did upzoning increase appraised property values to a greater degree in higher-income and more centrally located neighbourhoods? Finally, was zoning reform in Auckland significantly influenced by similar political pressures as in other countries? That is, was upzoning less likely (and downzoning more likely) in higher-income neighbourhoods? The answers to these three questions are substantially, it's complicated, and yes.
人们日益认识到，分区改革是提高住房可负担性和环境可持续性的重要战略。很少有城市对低密度街区进行重大升级分区，因此 2016 年的“奥克兰统一规划”(AUP)可能是世界上最雄心勃勃的分区改革。以前，奥克兰的大部分地块都被划为独栋住宅区，但现在其中四分之三的地块都允许建造多个单元。现有研究记录了这一分区改革后的建筑热潮，然而这一相对罕见的案例可以为我们提供更多的启示。在本文中，我们利用奥克兰 20 多万个地块的评估、人口普查和分区数据，研究并回答了关于“奥克兰统一规划”不同影响的三个问题。首先，升级分区在多大程度上提高了房产重建方案的评估价值？其次，在收入较高、位置较中心的街区，分区是否在更大程度上提高了房产评估价值呢？最后，奥克兰的分区改革是否与其他国家一样极大地受到类似政治压力的影响呢？也就是说，在收入较高的街区，是不是升级分区的可能性较小(而降低分区的可能性较大)呢？这三个问题的答案分别是 “很大程度上”、“很复杂 “和 “是的”。.
Keywords: house prices; land use regulations; neighbourhood effects; political economy; redevelopment option; upzoning.