"Quantify the hidden cost of approval delays MIT and Princeton economists studied the Los Angeles housing market and found that developers willingly pay 50% more for land that already has permits approved — revealing just how costly neighbor opposition and slow permitting actually are. The episode explains that "in LA, the slow and messy permitting process is responsible for about a third of the construction costs of a project." By eliminating that uncertainty, the Squamish built three towers in three years, a pace described as "crazy fast." Before starting any project requiring external approval, it is worth calculating what delays would actually cost you — that number may justify significant upfront investment in clearing the path. Source: Alex Goldmark and Jeff Guo, Planet Money (NPR), The Squamish Nation's Economic Experiment"