In one city, the government imposes land-use regulations that make those types of housing difficult or impossible to build. In another, property owners have much more freedom to subdivide their land and build the housing they want.
Nationally, the share of jobs requiring a government license has grown from about 5% in the 1950s to roughly 22% today, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
If school districts are concerned about consolidations and closures, they would be better off pressuring their local communities to make it easier to start and raise a family.
