Blog

Getting By on Reduced Supply: The Impact of Affordability Mandates

Housing prices in Seattle have soared as the city’s population has grown dramatically in recent decades. In response, policymakers in Seattle have implemented various strategies to try to increase housing affordability. One of these is the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA)…

Understanding Attitudes Toward Housing in Sacramento

At the end of 2022, Valley Vision—a group dedicated to improving the livability of the Sacramento region—conducted a survey of residents of the capital region on housing and transportation, in partnership with SACOG and Sacramento State’s Institute for Social Research.…

Statement on Senate passage of SB 684

SB 684 will create new pathways to homeownership for Californians SACRAMENTO – Today, California YIMBY released the following statement about the passage of SB 684 on the Senate floor: “By passing SB 684 out of the Senate, California is one…

Water, Water Everywhere? Depends on Where You Look

Can the San Francisco Bay Area grow sustainably with a limited water supply? A new study by SPUR and the Pacific Institute shows that more dense development in urban areas can ensure that the region’s growing population does not add…

Meet Me in the Missing Middle: Sound Housing Advice from AARP

In a new report, researchers at AARP explain why state-level action is needed to legalize “missing middle” housing – housing affordable to the vast majority of middle-income households – drawing lessons from past attempts. The bulk of the report is…

Time to Re-Open Those Golden Gates?

Rents and home prices have skyrocketed across the U.S., spreading housing affordability challenges that once seemed to be contained to the coasts. But in places that allow housing growth, multifamily construction also continues to boom, such that prices could soon…

VIDEO: Workers Build California

“Let’s create thousands of good-paying jobs and build the homes we need” California YIMBY has released the latest in its video explainer series, “Workers build California,” a 90-second animation about how successful efforts to end the housing shortage and affordability…

How San Diego Kicked Off an Affordable ADU Building Boom

Thanks to recent YIMBY-backed reforms, California is in the midst of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU – a.k.a. “Granny flats” or “casitas”) building boom. Since 2016, new state rules have clarified and strengthened the rights of property owners to build…

Capturing the Real Value of Transit-Oriented Development

Over the past few decades, California has made historic investments in urban mass transit, as demand for transit-served neighborhoods has grown. Yet these investments are undermined by poor local planning around transit stations, with zoning codes often blocking the mixed-use,…