A new report suggests that upzoning is not the silver bullet some had hoped it would be for housing prices.
As housing costs rise nationwide, many advocates have urged that cities prioritize accommodating future development through upzoning. Now, the Pratt Center for Community Development is exploring concerns that upzoning also carries unintended harmful consequences.
The new report, Flawed Findings, concludes that New York tends to greenlight upzoning and major developments without properly assessing these consequences, the most prominent of which is displacement.
"There is a complete disconnect [from] the lived experience of these folks," a researcher tells Aline Reynolds in Next City.
The report recommends a citywide displacement risk analysis to inform a new anti-displacement policy agenda with a goal of no net loss of affordable units.
FULL STORY: So You Want to Change Zoning to Allow for More Housing
New Jersey Calls for 85,000 New Housing Units
A state law known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine mandates that each jurisdiction accommodate enough new housing units to meet the local demand for affordable housing.
The Housing Affordability Recipe
Smart policies can ensure that low- and moderate-income households can find suitable housing in good neighborhoods where transportation costs are low. The research is clear: upzoning works.
Sweeping Zoning Reforms Adopted in Olympia
The Olympia, Washington City Council adopted a new Housing Options Code Amendments ordinance, effectively eliminating single-family zoning in the city.
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Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
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Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule
The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.
Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path
Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.
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