In pursuit of more affordable housing for young families and first-time homebuyers, cities across the US are legalizing “missing middle” housing. But the reforms passed in many cities often fail to produce new homes. A deep dive into a Memphis,…
The Affordability Agenda: Why Mobility Matters
Lower-income Americans spend over 30% of their after-tax income on transportation, a burden driven by states prioritizing highways over transit. New research argues the high cost of transport reflects a policy failure, but one that can be reversed and lead…
The Homework: October 28, 2025
Welcome to the October 23, 2025 Main edition of The Homework, the official newsletter of California YIMBY — legislative updates, news clips, housing research and analysis, and the latest writings from the California YIMBY team. News from Sacramento On October…
New Apartments Are Safer Than Detached Houses—And It’s Not Even Close
In 2023, four people died in apartment fires in buildings constructed since 2010, out of 8.3 million Americans in those buildings. That’s 0.5 deaths per million. Compare that to single-family homes: 7.6 per million, fifteen times higher. In “Modern Multifamily…
Building Up Beats Sprawling Out: Why Construction Wages Grew 2x Faster in Dense Cities
When Minneapolis converted an abandoned Ford auto plant into a dense neighborhood, it created thousands of union construction jobs while making housing more affordable. A 22-year analysis reveals that smart growth policies like these consistently produce more construction work, higher…
California Legalizes “Duplexes In My Historic Back Yard”
Local Abuse of Historic Preservation Rules Leads to Reform “We can build more homes and also preserve historic neighborhoods” SACRAMENTO – Today, California took a major step toward ending the abuse of historic preservation laws to block urgently-needed new housing,…
California Gets “Shot Clock” for Housing Inspections
Law signed by Gov. Newsom Will Speed California Families Into New Homes “Californians need housing now – not when inspectors get around to it“ SACRAMENTO – California families will soon be able to move into new homes faster, thanks to…
California Law Makes it Easier to Build Small, In-Home ADUs
New Law Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Removes Barriers, Imposes Standards “It’s now easier than ever to build a home inside your home” SACRAMENTO – Californians will find it faster, cheaper, and easier to add small accessory dwelling units (“ADUs”)…
California Housing Guidelines to be Translated into Multiple Languages
Bill Signed by Gov. Newsom Reflects Diverse, Multilingual Populace “California is for everyone – our housing guidelines should be translated to reflect our diversity” SACRAMENTO – Californians who speak a language other than English at home will have an easier…
New California Law to Issue Housing Permits in 30 Days
Local Permitting Delays Often Took Months; “Shot Clock” Sets a Time Limit “We’re reducing permitting times from many months to four weeks” SACRAMENTO – California home builders will be guaranteed faster permitting processes for new homes, thanks to new legislation…