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Is SB 9 Working? Here’s What Early Data Reveals

In 2021, the passage of SB 9 in California made history by ending single-unit zoning, and making it legal to build up to four homes on properties that had previously only permitted one. The bill made headlines, as single-unit zoning…

(Re)-legalize corner stores? Ja, natürlich

American zoning is predicated on the idea that residential, commercial, and industrial uses should all be strictly segregated—indeed, to an unusual degree by international standards.  Research by Hirt (2010) compares American zoning to German zoning to reveal how much more…

The Single Stairway to Heaven

While the broader housing shortage is driving up housing costs for a huge share of the population, many cities face an acute shortage of family-sized units in particular. In a new blog post, Andrew Justus of the Niskanen Center argues…

It Actually Takes More than an (Urban) Village

To stimulate housing production, many California cities have experimented with loosening their restrictive land-use regulations. Yet not all of these reforms have been equally successful in producing housing. Indeed, Gabbe et al. (2021) find evidence that San Jose’s “urban villages”…

Location: Still the Critical Factor in Affordable Housing

It’s not enough to merely build subsidized affordable housing — housing location matters at least as much as availability; in addition to secure, affordable shelter, humans need access to quality transit, walkable neighborhoods, minimal exposure to health and environmental risks,…

Los Angeles Leads the Way on AB 2097 Implementation

By M. Nolan Gray Over the holiday break, while many of us were nestled up by the fire reading The High Cost of Free Parking, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning (DCP) circulated an interdepartmental memo explaining how certain…

Ending Criminalization of Homelessness

By Ned Resnikoff In the Tuesday press conference where Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his proposal for the 2023-24 state budget, he touched on a key theme addressed in California YIMBY’s report on California’s homelessness crisis (of which I am the…

California YIMBY Statement on Governor’s Proposed Budget

Budget Strengthens Commitment to State Housing Law, Funding Homeless Services “The Governor’s priorities align with ending the housing shortage – but there’s work to do” SACRAMENTO – Today, California YIMBY released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s…

Time is Money, and Money is Housing: Approvals Done (By)-Right

The results are in: The City of Los Angeles’ Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) program of permitting new housing “by-right” has helped build more below-market rate affordable housing, faster, than housing proposals in the city that are still subject to discretionary…