Treating zoning as outside federal policy debates misses an important opportunity. If federal housing policy helped entrench land-use systems that limit housing supply, it can also encourage reform.

Washington may finally be aligning around the idea that housing affordability depends on building more homes.

Across much of the United States, housing shortages are often described as market failures or affordability crises. But many economists and planners point to a more basic constraint: local zoning rules frequently limit the supply of housing in high-demand regions.

A large share of the employment gains within Opportunity Zones appears to be offset by job losses in nearby communities. In other words, much of the observed job growth represents a relocation of economic activity rather than the creation of new employment within the broader region.