Housing Supply
Like many attractive, economically successful cities Seattle has a housing crisis, but not a land crisis. There is plenty of land if the city will just grow up.
The Urbanist
Blog post
Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.
One of the most ambitious zoning reform efforts in the country is still in early stages, and the public has taken notice.
Buckhead Reporter
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recently published a report to identify local government actions to ensure stable and affordable places to live for everyone.
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
New data reveals how far the U.S. housing market has stayed from anything resembling normal.
The New York Times
A proposal in Snohomish County, Washington could raise the lot coverage limits in medium density residential zones to allow for more usable square footage.
The Urbanist
A glut of new housing and development research has been published recently, shedding new light on some of the most fundamental questions of contemporary planning.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Blog post
The events of the past year shows that the law of supply and demand applies to urban housing, and that gentrification can, in fact, be subdued.
Expensive homes dominated the metro Denver real estate market in 2020.
The Denver Post
New York City's groundbreaking Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program will turn five years old in March. While some call for the program to be eliminated, others defend it.
City Limits
Limiting development has been a powerful tool for anti-gentrification activists, but have these policies had counter-productive effects?
The Atlantic
A city of about 40,000 residents across the Puget Sound from Seattle has relaxed zoning regulations to entice more homeowners to build accessory dwelling units.
The Urbanist
The Housing Choice initiative, one of the country's most sweeping planning and development reforms to date, was included in a large economic development package approved by the Massachusetts Legislature earlier this week.
Mass Live
A study published by a German researcher adds ammunition to the cause of improving housing affordability by legalizing and building new supply.
City Observatory
The Olympia, Washington City Council adopted a new Housing Options Code Amendments ordinance, effectively eliminating single-family zoning in the city.
The Olympian
Land use and zoning reform is not a magic wand, and effective changes to any planning regime change requires careful work. A new report Urban Institute provides case studies and guidance on how to achieve desired outcomes from a reform process.
Urban Institute
Feature
An excerpt from the new book by Shane Phillips, "The Affordable City," published by Island Press.
There are significant differences between Proposition 21, a statewide rent control measure on the ballot in California, compared to a similar measure defeated soundly by voters in 2018.
Los Angeles Times
Looking for change in the housing supply? "Don't stop at the zoning code and think you're done. There's so much work left to do."
Strong Towns
As reported earlier this month, the Massachusetts Legislature is poised to approve historic statewide land use reforms that would preempt local control of residential development. Here's a detailed account of how the state arrived at this moment.
Shelterforce Magazine
