Proponents of the plan say the changes would help reverse decades of discriminatory housing policies.
“Milwaukee continues to be one of the most segregated cities in the country,” writes Teig Whaley-Smith in an opinion piece for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. To solve this, the city needs policy change like the proposed “Growing MKE” package of zoning changes that would permit additional housing types.
According to Whaley-Smith, “The policy changes proposed in Growing MKE take a giant step forward on three issues that need to be resolved.” These are inventory, neighborhood choice, and displacement. Despite federal fair housing policies, exclusionary rules that prevent hte construction of duplexes and other multifamily housing types persist in many neighborhoods today.
The proposal would expand areas where housing and multifamily housing can be built, including commercial corridors. “Growing MKE is a policy change that will eliminate most of the exclusionary zoning provisions of the 1950s. This plan will allow for more homeownership and rental homes to be available in every corner of the city by providing incremental increases to the amount of inventory that can be built to relieve housing shortages.”
FULL STORY: Opinion: Racism is embedded in Milwaukee's rules for building new housing. Here's how we fix that.
DC Residents Want Affordability Over ‘Character’
A poll finds that most residents want to see changes in zoning and land use laws that unlock more housing construction in the District and improve affordability.
Commentary: Minimum Lot Sizes Drive Up Housing Costs
How making residential building requirements more flexible can ease the housing crisis and make neighborhoods more livable for more households.
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.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
SoCal Leaders Debate Moving Coastal Rail Line
Train tracks running along the Pacific Ocean are in danger from sea level rise, but residents are divided on how to fix the problem.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research