NIMBYism in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities contributes to a severe housing shortage and soaring housing costs.
A Texas Monthly piece by Megan Kimble explains the uphill battle faced by housing advocates in Austin, where rents rose by 40 percent between March 2020 and June of this year and families struggle to find affordable housing.
“Since the pandemic began, home prices have increased faster in the capital than almost anywhere else in the country.” Yet the city’s development code, which dictates where different types of housing can be built, was last updated in 1984, meaning the city still guides development based on a time when the population was half as large. Today, building housing is a case-by-case, neighborhood by neighborhood process that leads to drawn-out fights and a prolonged housing shortage.
Kimble argues that the NIMBYism exhibited by many Texas communities has prevented many housing developments from going forward, exacerbating the state’s persistent housing shortage. The article details some specific cases and goes on to explain how zoning can prevent small, vocal groups from gaining outsized influence and blocking beneficial affordable housing projects.
FULL STORY: Why Bringing More Affordable Housing to Austin Is a Block-by-Block Battle
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions