Would Tax Abatements Spur More ADU Construction in Anchorage?

Like so many other cities, Anchorage needs to encourage more options for housing. But how?

Housing, Zoning, Top StoryMikhail SiskoffMarch 1, 2022accessory dwelling units, housing, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing policy, zoning, alaska, anchorage

Pasadena Is Pumping the Brakes on This Mechanic’s Dreams

This small business owner is being financially crushed because the City of Pasadena is forcing him to get more parking spaces—parking that his small business doesn’t need.

Parking, Zoning, Top StoryDiana SimpsonFebruary 11, 2022Parking, parking, parking minimums, parking landing page, small business, local business, cars, zoning

State and Local Policy Tensions Focus Zoning Reforms

Let’s step back and evaluate the status of some recent, high-profile zoning reforms.

Housing, Zoning, Top StoryTheo Mackey PollackJanuary 25, 2022housing, housing crisis, housing affordability, zoning, upzoning, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Oregon, California

What Would Mass Upzoning *Actually* Do to Property Values?

A common objection to broad upzonings is, “Won't allowing more development everywhere set off speculative feeding frenzies?” The answer? No. Here’s why.

Herriges, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 19, 2022upzoning, zoning, Development, development, incremental development, incrementalism, next increment

Seems to Me That "Maybe" Pretty Much Always Means "No"

Flaky residential zoning has no place in a Strong Town!

Local Government, Member Post, Zoning, Top StoryMarlene DrukerJanuary 18, 2022zoning, Land Use, Form-Based Code, small scale development, local government

Zoning Desire Paths

Just as kids ignore sidewalks in favor of walking a more efficient path through the grass, homeowners in California are voting with their toolbelts to create zoning desire paths.

Housing, Zoning, Top Story, StangeJay StangeJanuary 7, 2022zoning, housing cost, housing affordability, housing, housing crisis, Housing, ADUs, single-family, multi-family, California, suburban experiment, suburbs

What Can We Learn From What New Zealand Just Did?

New Zealand just passed the first national policy to both end parking requirements and allow the next increment of (residential) development everywhere. I.e., two major items on the Strong Towns wish list.

Herriges, Housing, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 6, 2022housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, New Zealand, zoning, parking minimums, single-family

Legalize the Village

The author of Happy City helped build a home that addressed some of the greatest challenges of our times. But his home is illegal almost everywhere in his city—and in your city, too.

Housing, Zoning, Top StoryCharles MontgomeryDecember 16, 2021Homeownership, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing, housing cost, co-housing, canada, Canada, Vancouver BC, zoning, upzoning

California's SB 9: A Slow Reversion to the Historic Mean

California's Senate Bill 9 has sparked controversy, mainly among owners of single-family homes. But are we returning to historic forms of housing anyway, with or without state legislation?

Housing, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Zoning, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoNovember 1, 2021Housing, California, San Francisco, Granola Shotgun, zoning, housing policy, duplex, ADUs

Regulating by Use

What kind of zoning reform do we need in order to build strong towns?

Upzoned, Podcast, Zoning, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 27, 2021Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, zoning, local regulation, housing, Housing, amazon, Amazon

Paths of Greater Resistance

Incremental development today is far from the path of least resistance. To do it, you'll need the ability to navigate dozens of regulatory barriers.

Multigenerational Living Isn't Immigrant Culture, It's Human Culture

Living with extended family is something Americans often associate with immigrant households. But why?

Housing, Suburban Experiment, Zoning, Top Story, ShayestehShina ShayestehOctober 5, 2021family, multi-family, single-family, Single, immigrants, immigration, housing, Housing, Social Isolation, zoning

The Secret Sauce (Maybe) of California's Zoning Reform

SB 9 just passed in California, effectively ending single-family zoning there. The open question is, "What now?" Will anything actually change?

Herriges, Housing, ZoningDaniel HerrigesSeptember 29, 2021zoning, California, single-family, housing, Housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, duplex, fourplex

Zoning and "Bigness"

Big, complicated zoning codes create an environment that gives developers no smaller-scale competition.

Housing, Small Scale Developers, Zoning, Top StoryAddison Del MastroSeptember 13, 2021zoning, housing, developers, Development, Addison Del Mastro

You Need to Know About Walla Walla, Washington

This small city in Washington has been quietly making some very big zoning changes…

Upzoned, Podcast, Success Story, Zoning, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 18, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, zoning, single-family, Washington

The Question Every City Should Be Asking

Let’s #DoTheMath in Ramsey County, Minnesota.

#DotheMath, Suburban Experiment, Suburban Poverty, Zoning, Davis, Top StorySarah DavisAugust 4, 2021Value Per Acre, Urban3, Minnesota, St. Paul, suburban development pattern, traditional development pattern, #DoTheMath

When The Treatment Perpetuates the Disease

In 2016, Portland enacted an Inclusionary Housing policy affecting buildings of 20+ units. The result? The city now has a bunch of new 19-unit buildings. Let’s talk about intervening in a system as complex and adaptive as the housing market.

Herriges, Housing, Strategies, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 7, 2021Top-down Tools series, housing, housing crisis, housing policy, zoning, top-down

The Best "New" Ideas in Planning Are All Old News

A lot of supposedly "innovative" proposals are for things that have long existed in neighborhoods, but you wouldn't know it based on the language that planners use.

Herriges, Neighborhoods, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 22, 2021urban planning, Neighborhoods, zoning, Scranton, Pennsylvania, photos

The Cost of Adaptation Is Too Damn High

One of the realities about cities is that they change—but in America, most cities are trapped in a regulatory environment that makes change extremely costly.