Legalizing Dense Development is the Single Most Effective Solution to the Housing Crisis

the ability of municipalities to establish rules on land use through zoning is now a settled legal matter. In 1926 the US Supreme Court case of Village of Euclid, OH v. Ambler Realty Company settled the legal power of municipal governments to regulate the use of land. This case unfortunately also set the stage for the development of single-use zoni

... See more

Minimum density is 20 units per acre: The voter initiative locks in at least 20 units/acre (~50 people/acre) as the minimum average density. This is similar to beloved neighborhoods such as Marina in SF, Centrum in Amsterdam, Kensington in London, and Historic Charleston in South Carolina. Even though people love these places, we’ve built close to ... See more

Because she saw that older, shorter buildings were cheaper, she incorrectly believed that restricting heights and preserving old neighborhoods would ensure affordability. That’s not how supply and demand work. When the demand for a city rises, prices will rise unless more homes are built. When cities restrict new construction, they become more expe... See more

We must recognize that if we try to make one neighborhood greener by stopping new building, we can easily make the world browner, by pushing new development to someplace far less environmentally friendly.