San Francisco's State of the City address provided an opportunity to check in on the progress of the affordable housing agenda of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.
John Coté provides background on a housing agenda laid out by Mayor Lee the day prior to the annual State of the City address. Before laying out Mayor Lee's agenda for the upcoming year, Coté also surveyed the accomplishments of the last year, which included adding 4,000 units of housing. That number fell short of the 5,000-unit annual goal necessary to meet the mayor's long-term goals. In addition, 25 percent of those units were below market rate, "which also is short of Lee’s goal of having more than half of the new housing being affordable to low- or middle-income residents," writes Coté.
Among the proposals laid out by Mayor Lee last week and shared by Coté:
- A housing bond for the November 2015 ballot.
- An Ellis Act Amendment.
- Partnering with the city’s Retirement Board, "which oversees oversees a $20 billion investment portfolio, to add $100 million over 10 years to an existing city fund that loans first-time home buyers up to $200,000 for a down payment."
FULL STORY: Mayor Lee has a plan to get housing built for S.F.’s middle class

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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