Main finding
After Auckland's construction boom, quality-adjusted rents were substantially below the estimated path without reform.
Preferred estimate: the no-reform rent path was about 28% higher after six years
Can Zoning Reform Reduce Housing Costs? Evidence from Auckland
Greenaway-McGrevy & So
Most important limitation
This is one treated city, and the magnitude varies across specifications.
From the publication
Inspect the authors' figure directly
Figure 3 · Synthetic and actual rental price indexes
The actual and synthetic rent indexes track closely before 2016 and separate after the reform.
How this study is used
Claims this evidence supports
Reference
Greenaway-McGrevy & So (2026). “Can Zoning Reform Reduce Housing Costs? Evidence from Auckland.”