Planners and community development housing activists and professionals need to start thinking about housing policy as "both...and." It is not reasonable to couch housing policy as either unfettered building or only rent.
Paul Krugman, the darling of progressive policymakers in the United States, weighed in on the urban housing question recently, coming down firmly on the side of other economists in placing rising urban inequality at the foot of overly restrictive land use regulation. Many parts of "urbanist" Twitter breathlessly repeated Krugman's observations and joked about how the "debate" around housing supply and land use regulation is effectively over if Krugman says it is a problem.
Randy Shaw offered a counter to Krugman's observations, arguing vociferously that loosening land-use regulations is actually a boon for gentrification, and credits the efforts of neighborhood activists in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco to limit displacement. Pete Saunders offered a slightly more nuanced critique on his blog, but still frames this in a way that does not necessarily help planners, in particular, approach these thorny issues.
As with many great "debates" in the internet age, people often are responding to an issue they care about and not necessarily the issues brought up previously or those that are most important.
FULL STORY: The “Both/And” of the Housing Debate
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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