Affordable Housing Reform Eliminates Expensive Parking Mandates; Advances Climate, Clean Air Goals “We need affordable housing for people, not more expensive parking for cars” SACRAMENTO – Today, the California State Assembly voted to approve AB 2097, state legislation authored by…
The HomeWork: May 20, 2022
Welcome to the May 20, 2022 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 This week,…
Project Homekey: A Model for Addressing Homelessness?
California’s Project Homekey, a new initiative by Governor Newsom to acquire and retrofit hotels for permanent supportive housing, was hailed as a transformative solution to homelessness when it was launched in mid-2020. A new report by UC Berkeley’s Terner Center…
How Affordable Housing Makes Communities Wealthier
The Urban Institute has a new research brief out on the local economic benefits of affordable housing, focusing on a case study in Alexandria, VA. Key takeaways: New affordable housing projects in Alexandria increased home values within a one-block radius…
Do “Area Plans” Harm Affordability? The Case for City-Wide Upzonings
Shane Phillips at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies analyses the relationship between land values and upzoning in a new essay, “Building Up the ‘Zoning Buffer’: Using Broad Upzones to Increase Housing Capacity Without Increasing Land Values.” Phillips…
The HomeWork: April 27, 2022
Welcome to the April 27, 2022 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 It’s the…
How Apartment Bans Keep Americans in the Poor House
A new literature review by Federal Reserve staff economists Jia et al (2022) assesses the evidence from the economic costs of reduced migration. In particular, the review adds context to the findings of Hsieh & Moretti (2019) that restrictions on…
California YIMBY Announces Expanded Programs, New Policy Director
Ned Resnikoff, Policy Manager of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative; Fiscal and Policy Consultant, California Legislative Analyst’s Office “We’re ramping up our policy efforts and Sacramento advocacy ” SACRAMENTO – Today, California YIMBY announced that Ned Resnikoff, veteran journalist…
LA’s Apartment Bans Promote Segregation – and High Housing Costs
Single-Family Zoning in Greater Los Angeles, a new study by Menendian et al (2022) at UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute, examines new evidence on the relationships between exclusionary zoning, household income, home value, educational attainment, educational performance, and environmental…
Back on track: how California can build transit projects faster – and cheaper
New public transit projects in the United States are constantly over-budget and behind schedule. How can state and local policymakers fix this? A new study by Elkind et al. (2022) at UC Berkeley examines five case studies. Key takeaways: Local…