Density has long been a dirty word in zoning politics and owners of single-family homes, usually white, are more likely to participate in zoning and planning meetings to lead the charge against affordable housing development.
A CityLab report notes that as housing affordability and inequality become national political issues, the people who have long dominated those meetings are starting to see their anti-development agenda upended. Cities are gaining political traction for policies that once seemed out of the question. The newest tool that cities are deploying in the ongoing fight against segregation and housing inequality is to let their streets get denser, in what is known as upzoning. Still, making zoning more progressive faces awfully long odds, which makes this strategy a question of policy and politics.
The story looks at the density push in Minneapolis, Seattle, and the challenges facing reviving SB 50, a proposed statewide residential rezoning measure in California
Advertisement
Related Stories
Housing Policy + Finance
The Garden State Takes a New Approach to Expanding Affordable Housing
Recent legislation in New Jersey could provide inspiration for eliminating affordable housing hurdles in other places with strong housing markets
Planning + Development
What's Standing in the Way of Building Housing Near Transit Stops
Two recent studies look at the factors hindering housing development near rapid transit
Affordability
Models of Affordability: Houston, Beyond Zoning
Limited land use regulations have certainly helped the city's housing affordability, but for low-income residents, policies such as inclusionary zoning may not be enough