Minneapolis as a Model for Housing Affordability

Through a combination of policies, the city has managed to limit the severity of the nationwide housing crisis.

1 minute read

April 24, 2024, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Sunset view of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota skyline.

Scruggelgreen / Adobe Stock

Writing in Brown Political Review, Jeremy Gold outlines how Minneapolis stabilized rent prices in the city and largely avoided the major housing affordability crisis facing most of the country.

Thanks to a sweeping set of 100 policies implemented at the start of 2020 known as the “Minneapolis 2040 Plan,” rent prices in the city have stabilized in the face of population growth and inflation—and despite higher housing prices throughout the rest of the state.

According to Gold, the four reforms that made the biggest impact on housing affordability are: “eliminating parking minimums; creating density minimums near public transit stations, with higher standards near popular transit hubs and even higher ones downtown; abolishing single-family zoning; and increasing investment in various affordable housing projects, both public and private.”

Those four policies provide a useful model for keeping rents affordable, Gold notes. “Minneapolis has boldly shown a way out of ever-increasing housing prices with a handful of relatively simple policy improvements.”

For Gold, “The starting point of any housing policy, therefore, has to be creating more market-rate housing units in the city center.”

Sunday, April 21, 2024 in Brown Political Review

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

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.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Street with parking protected bike lane and parked cars in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance

The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

July 8 - Willamette Week

Aerial view of Spokane, Washington with river in foreground.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package

Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

July 8 - The Spokesman-Review

Close-up on black and white "Bike Lane Ends" sign with bike logo.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane

The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.

July 8 - Houston Public Media

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.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA