Portland just passed the best low-density zoning reform in US history
Portland’s city council set a new bar for North American housing reform Wednesday by legalizing up to four homes on almost any residential lot. Portland’s new rules will also offer ...
Author: Michael Andersen
Five Steps to Prevent Displacement
Protect tenants. Upzone for reparations. And 3 more steps for communities to build abundant housing, invest in affordability, and avoid displacement.
Author: SwatchJunkies
A Federal One-Two Punch to Protect Renters—Pandemic and Beyond
Together, these two strategies can turn around the coronavirus housing emergency, and set the course for long-term housing abundance and affordability.
Author: SwatchJunkies
Washington Stops at Incremental Housing Steps
More and more Washingtonians can’t find homes they can afford. The housing squeeze has been especially hard on renters. For those stretched to the limit just to make rent every ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Washington Takes a Stand for Granny Flats
Granny flats won in Olympia this session. Yesterday, Washington lawmakers took action to address the state’s housing shortage, leading cities in a unified effort to curb home prices and congestion ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Cities Cling to Laws That Shut Out Non-traditional Family Groups
UPDATE: The “Golden Girls Bill” (SB 6302) died when time ran out for it to get heard on the House floor before the cutoff on Friday, March 6. The gutting ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
One of North America’s Boldest Housing Initiatives Has Reached Its End: Did It Work?
Last time, I mapped the political battleground of metropolitan housing shortages. This time, I draw lessons from an attempt to unleash abundant housing by assembling a different coalition. In the ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Housing Policy Is… Salmon Policy?
Across the Pacific Northwest, urban sprawl is decimating salmon habitat. Fish scientists who study the effects of urbanization on salmon, steelhead and orcas are unanimous: To save these iconic and ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Know Thine NIMBY
Last time, I documented the consistent US pattern of housing lockdown—the cessation of homebuilding in most metropolitan areas’ residential zones, especially single-detached ones, which yields both auto-dependent, climate-polluting sprawl and ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Yes, We Can Make Cities Affordable and Low-Carbon. It Requires Smart Strategy
Since December 2018, Seattle and Minneapolis have passed laws allowing more people to live in their previously sacrosanct single-family neighborhoods, tripling the number of homes allowed on each lot. Sightline ...