How the Texas capital quickly became one of the country’s hottest—and least affordable—housing markets.
An article by Ryan Cavataro in Bloomberg CityLab analyzes the causes of Austin’s growing housing crisis, which is making it harder for longtime residents to afford housing in the city. Chief among them are outdated zoning codes and an influx of new residents and major employers.
According to Cavataro, “Austin's citywide zoning code hasn’t been updated since 1984, when the city was less than half its current population. And rules around single-family lots, which make up much of the city’s residential neighborhoods, are considered some of the more restrictive in the country.”
There is hope, however: “The city adopted a Strategic Housing Blueprint in 2017, which lays out a 10-year plan to create 60,000 affordable housing units. In 2021, the city exceeded its goal of building new housing units within a half-mile of targeted neighborhoods for the fourth year in a row.”
Read the full story: Why Doesn't Austin Have More Affordable Housing?
Zoning Reform Proposed in Austin
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Since late 2019, developers who deliver affordable housing units in Austin have received bonuses in height, density, parking, and other regulatory metrics, leading to a large number of new affordable housing units in the pipeline.
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A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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Journal of the American Planning Association