California YIMBY

Taller Buildings Near Transit Would Cut Austin’s Affordable Housing Costs by $2.5 Billion

Allowing denser apartment buildings along Austin’s planned light-rail lines could slash the city’s affordable housing subsidies from $8 billion to $5.5 billion while meeting housing goals that current zoning makes impossible, according to a University of Texas study. The findings…

Location, Location, Low-Carbon: The Surprising Climate Math of Where We Live

While urban planners have long considered the impacts of density, new research reveals additional housing and neighborhood design factors that significantly impact our carbon footprint in residential developments. In “Beyond density: Examining overlooked drivers of housing and neighborhood greenhouse gas…

So Many Forms, So Few Homes: How L.A. Made Housing a Waiting Game

Los Angeles suffers from severe housing unaffordability, with one-third of renters spending over half their income on housing and over 47,000 residents experiencing homelessness. New research suggests that lengthy approval processes may be a key factor limiting housing production. Streamlining…

How California makes it harder to build homes where people drive less

California lets homebuilders fast-track housing in certain “low-VMT neighborhoods”—areas where new residents are expected to drive less than average (low vehicle miles traveled). The idea: support climate goals and housing access at the same time. But a new report shows…