The state must build 28,000 housing units each year to keep up with a growing need.
According to an article by Katie McKellar in Deseret News, “Legislative auditors concluded Utah needs to build almost 28,000 units of housing a year to keep up with the state’s forecasted growth while signaling a continued prevalence on single-family homes rather than higher-density housing would be a ‘recipe for trouble as Utah continues to grow.’” The state’s housing shortage is expected to grow to 37,000 units by next year.
The report recommends finding ways to “increase zoning density on a wide scale” and do more to enforce local compliance with housing goals. “Auditors floated policy options like tying existing land use requirements to projected population growth (seen in states including Oregon and California) and considering ‘upzoning,’ or requiring local governments to allow more homes to be built on less land.”
The report notes that while the government doesn’t engage in housing construction, “setting the right mix of public policy could create more favorable conditions to create housing at the level needed to keep pace with population growth.
FULL STORY: Utah audit: A future of only single-family homes ‘recipe for trouble’
NYC Council Approves Brooklyn Rezoning Plan
The Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use Plan includes infrastructure investments and could bring 4,600 new housing units to parts of Brooklyn.
DC Residents Want Affordability Over ‘Character’
A poll finds that most residents want to see changes in zoning and land use laws that unlock more housing construction in the District and improve affordability.
NYC’s Proposed Zoning Reforms Lag Behind Other Cities
Cities like Austin and Minneapolis are making major changes to their zoning codes to encourage housing construction, but New York’s proposed reforms are far less ambitious.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont