Understanding Opposition to Apartment Buildings

Martin Vinæs Larsen; Niels Nyholt

doi:10.1561/113.00000092

Understanding Opposition to Apartment Buildings

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Institut for Statskundskab

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

New apartment buildings offer potential relief from high housing costs, but they encounter significant local opposition. Using a vignette survey experiment, we explore why citizens oppose the construction of apartment buildings. We find limited evidence that this opposition stems from concerns over congestion or out-group bias. Citizens tend to oppose taller buildings irrespective of whether they attract more or undesirable residents. Instead, opposition to apartment buildings seems to be driven by local preservationism. Respondents do not think that tall buildings fit into their predominantly low-rise neighborhoods. To substantiate the importance of preservationism, we zoom in on projects that were proposed near another apartment building. Here, respondents agree that apartment buildings fit in and they oppose them less. These results may help explain why cities sprawl rather than densify, and why it is difficult to build affordable housing in expensive cities.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy
Vol/bind	5
Nummer	1
Sider (fra-til)	29-46
ISSN	2689-4823
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1561/113.00000092
Status	Udgivet - 2 sep. 2024

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10.1561/113.00000092Licens: CC BY

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Understanding Opposition to Apartment Buildings

Abstract

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