Dive Brief:

• The National League of Cities and the American Planning Association are launching a national campaign to advance and incentivize local approaches to solving the housing crisis.
• The Housing Supply Accelerator campaign aims to address the housing needs in cities and towns by identifying solutions and encouraging system changes that allow local officials and developers to work together, the organizations stated in a press release Monday. These could include new approaches to land use and zoning, housing development and preservation.
• APA President Angela Brooks said in the statement that the accelerator “shows the commitment of community planners and local officials to work together to find solutions and build momentum for a common agenda.” 

Dive Insight:

Cities throughout the U.S. have taken a variety of approaches to increase the housing supply, including through zoning and land-use reform, streamlined approval processes, hotel or motel conversions, and raising money for various housing-related projects. 

According to the APA’s website, city leaders are under pressure to address the affordable housing crisis and homelessness in their communities, but the crisis is regional, and clashing ordinances from one locality to the next “can drive racial inequities and produce negative economic outcomes across a region.” 

Housing stakeholders and association and policy partners will be invited to participate in the accelerator in the coming weeks, while local government leaders and planners will be able to provide insight through engagement with the NLC and the APA. Perspectives from those groups, plus from builders, financial institutions and state and federal officials, will help develop, align and advance “locally-driven housing supply solutions,” the press release stated. 

The campaign will provide model practices, ordinances and other resources communities can use to address their unique housing challenges, according to the press release. It will also help cities make the most of one-time funds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law to finance the production and preservation of housing, the APA website states.