While the geography of land use control is shaped by various forces operating at multiple levels, how land use is regulated in the U.S. has been examined with a narrow focus on either intraregional variation (within a single region) or aggregate differences between regions. This article presents an investigation of the geographical distribution of land use control with explicit consideration of both local and regional factors. Using data from two nation-wide surveys and other sources of information, it shows that substantial variation exists not only between regions but also within regions, calling for more attention to what matters and at what level. It is also found that the multilevel determinants of land use regulations are not uniform across regulation types. While low-density zoning is largely determined by local factors with limited interregional variation, a higher level of heterogeneity between regions is detected for impact fees and affordable housing requirements.

虽然土地利用控制的地理分布是由在多个层面运作的各种力量决定的，但美国对土地利用的监管方式已被狭隘地关注于区域内差异（单个区域内）或区域之间的总体差异。本文对土地利用控制的地理分布进行了调查，明确考虑了地方和区域因素。利用两次全国性调查的数据和其他信息来源，它表明不仅地区之间而且地区内部也存在巨大差异，这需要更多地关注什么是重要的以及在什么层面上重要。研究还发现，土地利用法规的多层次决定因素在不同法规类型中并不统一。虽然低密度分区很大程度上取决于当地因素，区域间差异有限，但影响费和经济适用住房要求在区域之间存在较高程度的异质性。