Employment begins to move to the suburbs. As a consequence, the ratio of jobs to housing tends to grow over time in the suburbs. This shift of jobs to the suburbs might be expected to reduce commute times. Many suburban workers are forced into long commutes because they are unable to find affordable housing near their jobs. Cervero identifies five forces that have contributed to these jobs-housing imbalances.
Some suburban jurisdictions practice fiscal and exclusionary zoning .
They use their zoning powers to encourage commercial and industrial developments for the bountiful taxes that these generate. At the same time the jurisdictions discourage housing for the people who work in these developments. Jurisdictions also impose growth moratoria to prevent the construction of new single family or multifamily homes, limit the number of permits that they will issue, or raise the minimum lot size for homes. Moderately paid workers cannot afford the housing prices near many suburban job centers and are thus forced into long commutes. In the case of two wage-earner households it simply may not be possible to locate close to both places of work.