Blog Posts

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…

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…

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…

Los Angeles voters passed Measure ULA in 2022 to tax real estate sales over $5 million in order to fund subsidized housing programs. But new research from UCLA and RAND finds that the policy may be slowing the growth of…

New research reveals that Los Angeles Measure ULA, which imposes a 4% tax on property sales over $5M (5.5% above $10M) and allocates the revenue to affordable housing, has significantly reduced property transactions needed for housing development, undermining its own…

Californians are rightly frustrated over the spiraling cost of rent. Due to our acute housing shortage, hundreds of thousands of Californians are forced to spend most of their income on rent, live in overcrowded conditions, or leave the state each…

(Click here to add your name as a signer of this open letter.) Open Letter to Senator Aisha Wahab April 17, 2025 Dear Chair Wahab, California is in an acute housing crisis.  This unprecedented crisis warrants unprecedented reforms.  The roots…

In Truckee, California, where median home prices exceed $1.1 million, workers essential to the resort community struggle to find housing they can afford. However, despite California’s nation-leading ADU reforms and the potential for rental income, few homeowners in the small…

California faces a severe housing shortage, with seven of America’s ten most expensive metros. While building more housing is critical to address this shortage, building costs in California far exceed those in other western states. In “The High Cost of…

California YIMBY is advancing its most ambitious legislative agenda yet—one that tackles the three biggest impediments to ending California’s housing shortage: legalizing housing where it’s most needed, streamlining approvals, and reducing costs. If we can pass this package—and fend off…