The former HUD secretary urges the Emerald City to make efficient use of land and increase densities, while advocating for the introduction of tax-increment financing and inclusionary zoning.
"Seattle is a very special city that has garnered 'the best' status numerous times. But, like cities all across the country, it has a housing crisis. Fewer than 50 percent of Seattle's workers live in the city, leading to many other urban problems. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is right in calling the lack of affordable housing in Seattle and elsewhere a 'silent epidemic.'
"With respect to making sites available, revising zoning policies changes the capacity of the land by increasing allowable densities and reducing minimum lot size. In the Williamsburg section of New York City, 10,000 homes were built; 3,500 were affordable through this strategy.
We are in a new time, with new imperatives, and it is worth looking at zoning with a fresh eye."
FULL STORY: Exploring strategies to solve housing crunch

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

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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