Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.

J.K. Dineen reports in a paywalled article for the San Francisco Chronicle that San Francisco Mayor London Breed is pushing to reconvene a “technical advisory committee” that meets periodically to revisit the city’s inclusionary zoning program. “The eight-person committee, which includes four mayoral and four Board of Supervisors appointees, has not met since February 2018,” according to Dineen.
The premise both of the article and the announcement by Breed’s office is that development in San Francisco is far too slow to provide the housing needed in the city. “So far this year San Francisco has had 1,161 units completed, putting the city on pace to see fewer than 3,000 new homes. Compare that to 2021 when 4,649 units came online. Meanwhile, there are 4,100 units under construction, compared to the high of 10,000 units that were being built in 2016 or 2017,” writes Dineen.
San Francisco’s approach to inclusionary zoning has long been a source of debate about the unintended (or intended) consequences of well-intentioned approaches to support affordable housing construction by requiring developers to include affordable housing in every new residential development. Some critics of the approach say that the requirements make many projects economic infeasible, defeating the purported purpose of the policy and point to San Francisco of a prime example of inclusionary zoning gone too far.
A co-sponsor of the most recent version of the city’s inclusionary zoning policy, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, is quoted in the article saying “it’s definitely time to reconvene” the technical assistance panel.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie