What's Hot: The 4 Projects in the Works Near DC's Starburst Intersection | A 153-Room Aloft Hotel Pitched For Mt. Vernon Triangle
Report: The DC Area is Expensive, But Not Expansive
Development in the District and its suburbs has boomed in recent years, but a recent report shows that the DC area has become pricey due to its slowing rate of expansion since the 1970s.
As BuildZoom chief economist Issi Romem explains, there is an inverse relationship between growth in housing prices and outward expansion in metropolitan areas. Although U.S. cities have expanded into surrounding areas at a steady clip since the post-World War II era, they have done so in two different ways: expansively or expensively.
Expansive cities have developed at an accelerated rate, coupling their economic strength with strong population growth. Conversely, expensive cities have sharply reduced their rate of outward expansion in recent decades leading to higher property values.
A snapshot of development in the DC area in the 1970s
A snapshot of development in the DC area in the 2000s
DC offers a clear example of the development dynamic of expensive cities, wherein an inelastic housing supply has led to a reactive style of development in response to rising property values.
story continues below
loading...story continues above
“[Expensive cities like DC] create jobs and opportunities that attract many people, but when these people compete with each other over a limited housing stock the highest bidders prevail, raising home values and rents,” the BuildZoom report stated. “A key implication of housing cost escalation is that it sorts people into and out of these cities based on their financial ability, churning out a population that is increasingly well off. Because affluent residents tend to ratchet up land use regulation more than others, the process results in an even more constrained housing supply that raises property values further in a vicious cycle.”
In the DC area, stringent building and land-use regulations are also coupled with the development challenges posed by natural topography. The cycle of rising housing prices, inelastic supply and slow-rolling development will continue unless the area gets more creative and expansive in its growth.
Click here to see more data and analysis from other cities around the country.
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/how_dcs_development_rate_has_made_it_expensive/11122.
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever
In this article, UrbanTurf looks at the estimated annual maintenance costs associated... read »
Another concept has been unveiled for one of DC's most contentious development sites,... read »
The residential development in the works along Florida Avenue NE is looking to increa... read »
Renter demand has continued to push Class A apartment rents in the DC region up this ... read »
The big news in the development pipeline east of DC's H Street Corridor is the resur... read »
- What Are the Annual Maintenance Costs When You Own a Home?
- A First Look At The New Plans For Adams Morgan's SunTrust Plaza
- 46 to 48: The Biggest Project In Trinidad Looks To Get Bigger
- How Much Did DC-Area Rents Rise At The Beginning of 2024?
- The 4 Projects In The Works Near DC's Starburst Intersection
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro