Blog Posts

Excited about solving the housing crisis? Read the latest from the California YIMBY team.

Sign Up for California YIMBY’s Newsletter

The Homework

The HomeWork is the official newsletter of California YIMBY — legislative updates, news clips, housing research and analysis, and the latest writings from the California YIMBY team.

2023
Read More
All items
Filter by Topic
Filter by Type

By-Right Approvals: The Better Part of Housing Valor

Most housing and commercial developments in California cities go through a series of reviews by various government bodies before they are approved for construction, or “entitled” – and those processes differ dramatically.  In many cases, projects are approved “by right”…

Read More

Lot Sizes: When the Bare Minimum is Way Too Much

Minimum lot size requirements are a common tool used by cities across the United States to ensure that homes are not built on parcels that are deemed aesthetically “too small” for housing. Available evidence suggests that these requirements also drive…

Read More

Small is Beautiful … and Expensive: Removing Barriers to “Middle Housing” in California

When Senate Bill 9 passed in 2021, it represented a sea-change in California state housing policy. By allowing up to four units on all single-family zoned parcels statewide, SB 9 represented a significant step toward achieving housing abundance.  But some…

Read More

How to Save Money: Give People Money

In response to rising rates of homelessness, city and state governments have introduced many different programs aimed at providing various forms of shelter and permanent housing to the unhoused. In a new study, a team of researchers in British Columbia,…

Read More

Report — Housing Underproduction in California: 2023

September 27, 2023 — By one estimate, California must build 3.5 million housing units by 2025 to end the state’s housing shortage. This shortage has resulted in rising rents and prices, closed access to homeownership for many families, and forced many Californians to leave…

Read More

Think Locally, Upzone Globally

Overly restrictive zoning is a major factor contributing to the housing shortage and affordability crisis. In a new paper, Jack Y Favilukis and Jaehee Song present a new theory to explain why some municipalities have more restrictive zoning than others:…

Read More

Next Experiment in the Laboratories of Democracy: Housing Progress

With the end of the California legislative session on September 14, several major housing bills were approved by the Legislature and sent to Governor Newsom’s desk. While attention has been focused on California, a number of other states have passed…

Read More

The HomeWork: September 28, 2023

Welcome to the September 28, 2023 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 We are…

Read More

Statement on Passage of SB 684

SACRAMENTO – Today, California YIMBY, California Community Builders, LISC San Diego, The Central Valley Urban Institute, UnidosUS, Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund, California Community Economic Development Association, and Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services released the following statement in response to…

Read More

California YIMBY Statement on Legislature Passage of AB 1633

Bill Strengthens Environmental Protections, Limits CEQA Abuse “Urban infill housing is critical for the environment and climate change” SACRAMENTO – Today, California YIMBY released the following statement about the passage of AB 1633 in the state legislature: “Building multi-family housing…

Read More