A Colorado city put a cap on new housing - and proved why it doesn't work
The experiences of Lakewood, Colorado, a city where a grassroots movement instituted a growth cap to protect its family-oriented character and lush green spaces, suggest that growth caps don’t work to make cost of living more affordable – but other mechanisms can.
Photographed for The Guardian
Cathy Kentner, a music teacher who has lived in Lakewood since 1998, stands for a portrait at Slater Elementary School, where she teaches music, on Wednesday, July 6, 2023. She and other residents of the Denver suburb fought to pass the Strategic Growth Initiative, which slowed housing stock growth there starting in 2020.