If passed, the bill could trigger the use of the Defense Production Act to speed up production of construction materials.
Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) introduced a bill that calls for a national emergency on housing, a declaration that would trigger federal resources and allow the government to use the Defense Production Act to boost production of materials used for housing.
As Ryan Kushner explains in Smart Cities Dive, “The bill seeks to spur the construction of 4 million additional housing units in the U.S. It also asks the federal government to prohibit state and local governments from imposing regulations that place ‘a substantial burden’ on housing production during the ‘period of the emergency’ that lasts until 2031 or until the 4 million goal is met.”
The act would compel regulatory changes at the state and local level and would introduce a “pro-growth” condition for federal block grant funding.
FULL STORY: Senate ‘housing emergency’ bill seeks to spur construction of 4 million US homes
Explaining the Housing Market via Footwear
What the shoe industry can teach us about the housing crisis.
The Rise of Zoning Reform
As the housing affordability crisis spread from mainly coastal cities to the rest of the nation, cities and states are taking a serious look at outdated zoning codes that hamper efforts to build more housing.
Boston Mayor Fights for Rent Control
Mayor Wu says putting a rent control policy in place is just one of several ways the city plans to improve housing affordability and prevent evictions, but the proposal requires state approval.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association