Zoning laws are notoriously arcane, but a new tool from the National Zoning Atlas is turning them into something like a Google map for land use laws. “We want people to understand what zoning says and what it does,” said Sara Bronin, the National Zoning Atlas Director.

A new book by Jenny Schuetz, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, sheds light on possible solutions.

More density may not create more affordability.