Law & Public Policy
Beyond Zoning Reform: Why Housing Supply Still Stalls
11:20-12:10 | Canopy B | Breakout Session
Panel Directors: Bianca Hsieh, Tyler Naman
Despite aggressive zoning reform across states and cities, housing production remains uneven. This panel interrogates why supply stalls even where legal permission exists, focusing on ownership structure, municipal capacity, political economy, and institutional constraints that limit development in both legacy and high-growth markets.
Moderator
John Infranca
Professor of Law | Suffolk University Law School
John Infranca is a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School, where he teaches courses in property, land use law, local government law, election law, and religion and law. Professor Infranca is a co-editor of the Elgar Research Agenda for Land Use and Planning Law and the Cambridge Handbook of the Law of the Sharing Economy. He is currently working on a book, tentatively titled “Zones of Exclusion: A History of Single-Family Zoning and the Police Power,” which is under contract with Yale University Press. The book explores how early proponents of zoning developed, defended and implemented this novel form of regulation, with a particular focus on single-family districting. His other current research projects examine the use of property rights rhetoric in debates over land use reform, the role of neighborhood and nongovernmental entities in local land use decisions, the relationship between land use processes and the rule of law, Catholic Social Teaching and various urban law and policy issues, and topics at the intersection of religious liberty and property. Professor Infranca served as a Florence Rogatz Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School in Spring 2024 and Spring 2026, teaching courses in land use and election law. In Fall 2026 he will teach property law as a visitor at Harvard Law School.
Panelists
Erin R. McCabe
Chief of Real Estate | MBTA
Erin R. McCabe serves as the Chief of Real Estate for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), leading the agency’s real estate strategy, development initiatives, and revenue-generating programs. She oversees efforts to maximize the MBTA’s portfolio, manage property transactions, and advance partnerships that support both operational needs and long-term infrastructure goals. Erin collaborates with internal teams, public agencies, municipalities, and private developers to advance projects that enhance transit access, activate underused property, and strengthen the MBTA’s financial position. Her work focuses on aligning real estate planning with the agency’s mission to deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation.
Spencer Levy
Global Client Strategist,Senior Economic Advisor | CBRE
Spencer is the Global Client Strategist and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE, where he plays a central role on the firm's "Client Care" team, working daily with its largest investor and occupier clients. He brings more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, investment banker, and leader in research and capital markets leader, with the last 18 at CBRE.
Spencer is also the Chairman of the Real Estate Roundtable's Research committee, a position that regularly places him in front of senior elected officials and policy matters. He is widely regarded as one of the most active public speakers in the industry, delivering more than 200 presentations annually at major industry events such as ULI, CoreNet, NAIOP, and CREW, as well as directly to clients. He has spoken at more than 40 major university alum and client events, including at Harvard and Cornell, his alma maters.
Spencer is the host of CBRE's award-winning podcast, "The Weekly Take", now in its fifth year. It is #1 most downloaded podcast on commercial real estate globally. His industry honors include CoreNet Luminary Awards for Excellence in Public Speaking, two CBRE Gary J. Bebon awards for teamwork, the CBRE Capital Markets MVP designation, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Commercial Real Estate from The Daily Record in Maryland. Spencer has appeared on numerous television networks, including CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, and PBS. He resides in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife of 26 years and their three children.
Ian Hatch
Partner | Fulcrum Land & Infrastructure
Ian has built his career at the intersection of transportation and land use. He began his career at Norfolk Southern Railway as a Terminal Trainmaster, then worked as a transportation policy advisor for Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA). He subsequently joined the development department at Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP), where he led a successful effort to design and permit 1.4 million square feet of mixed-use development in Cambridge's Kendall Square neighborhood.
At FL&I, Ian aims to realize the potential of thoughtful real estate development paired with public infrastructure investment. He holds a BA from Amherst College and an MBA from the University of Chicago.