California gets most of the attention, but states all over the country are removing some of the vestiges of local control to help spur housing development, require affordable housing, and control the skyrocketing cost of housing.

Tersa Wiltz writes to explain an emerging shift in the politics of housing:
As an affordable housing crisis continues to escalate in big cities and small towns alike, states are scrambling to find ways to combat it. This year, there’s been a flurry of state legislation to tackle the problem — with radically different approaches that reflect the highly partisan national divide.
States "from South Carolina to Hawaii" are getting involved with the housing policies of local governments, according to the article. Experts from the Urban Institute, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National League of Cities, the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, and the Manhattan Institute are cited in describing both the problems of the housing market and the proposed, state-level solutions.
While California has been making a lot of noise for passing and debating new laws that preempt local obstacles to development, Wiltz also notes the actions of other states, like Connecticut, South Carolina, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Louisiana, who have either proposed or approved laws that would enable or require more housing and affordable housing development.
Hawaii and Tennessee have taken a different approach, and used state preemption to quell local affordable housing policies, like inclusionary zoning.
Meanwhile a pair of efforts at the federal level have also made motions against local control, though how substantive either of those actions might actually prove is still very much a matter of speculation. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has made policy proclamations that at least partly decry the overabundance of local land use and development regulations, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has proposed legislation that would strip away some local zoning laws.
FULL STORY: In Shift, States Step in on Affordable Housing

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.

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?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie