The affordable city : strategies for putting housing within reach (and keeping it there) / Shane Phillips.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Phillips, Shane, 1984- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Housing policy--United States.

Housing policy.

Housing--United States.

Housing.

Public housing.

United States.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (282 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Washington, District of Columbia : Island Press, [2020]

Summary:

From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high housing costs and household instability. Debates over the appropriate course of action have been defined by two poles: building more housing or enacting stronger tenant protections. These options are often treated as mutually exclusive, with support for one implying opposition to the other. Shane Phillips believes that effectively tackling the housing crisis requires that cities support both tenant protections and housing abundance. He offers readers more than 50 policy recommendations, beginning with a set of principles and general recommendations that should apply to all housing policy. The remaining recommendations are organized by what he calls the Three S's of Supply, Stability, and Subsidy. Phillips makes a moral and economic case for why each is essential and recommendations for making them work together. There is no single solution to the housing crisis--it will require a comprehensive approach backed by strong, diverse coalitions. The Affordable City is an essential tool for professionals and advocates working to improve affordability and increase community resilience through local action.

Contents:

Part 1. Principles and general recommendations

Pursue the three S's (supply, stability, and subsidy) simultaneously

Take action now

Focus on institutional reform

Adapt solutions to the needs of your community

Center voices of, and outcomes for, the disenfranchised and most vulnerable

Use a mix of mandates and incentives

Know what you're asking for

Pick one : housing affordability or rising home values

Don't reward idle money

Don't coddle landlords

Track everything

Strive for objective, consistent rules

Expand the conversation around gentrification

Align local votes with Presidential and Midterm elections

Part 2. Policies

Supply : why housing matters

Increased zoning capacity

Upzone many places at once (upzoning geographically distributed)

Focus upzones in accessible and high-opportunity areas (upzoning : targeted)

Find the upzoning sweet spot : not too big, not too small (upzoning : rightsized)

Allow housing in commercial zones (mixed-use zoning)

Make it expensive to reduce the supply of homes (Home sharing)

Eliminate density limits in most places (density limits)

Eliminate parking requirements everywhere (parking minimums)

Let renters decide what they value (micro-units)

Make development approvals "by right" (by-right development)

Speed up the entitlement process (faster approvals)

Explore other ways to bring down development costs (input costs)

Promote counter-cyclical home building (counter-cyclical development)

Stability : why tenant protections and rental housing preservation matter

Place moderate restrictions on rent increases for nearly all housing (anti-gouging)

Place stronger restrictions on rent increases for older housing (rent stabilization)

Be careful with vacancy control

Implement inclusionary zoning and density bonuses

Discourage redevelopment that requires renter displacement (displacement compensation and right of return)

Make affordability requirements permanent (affordability covenant duration)

Buy naturally occurring affordable housing with public funds

Require transparency from voluntary tenant buyouts

Prioritize displaced tenants for affordable housing placement (preferential placement)

Limit the ability of landlords to "go out of business" (rental housing preservation)

Use just-cause protections to discourage evictions

Require government notification for all eviction notices and rent hikes (landlord transparency)

Offer free or reduced-cost legal counsel to residents facing evictions (right to counsel)

Enforce housing and building codes

Eliminate discrimination against people with housing choice vouchers

Prioritize stability over wealth creation (homeownership assistance)

Subsidy : why government spending and public programs matter

Institute a progressive tax home sales (real estate transfer tax)

Tax "flipped" houses at higher rates

Utilize property taxes

Tax underutilized and vacant property

Don't sell public land : lease it (public land and P3s)

Minimize impact fees and charge them equitably

Don't let small buildings off the hook (missing middle)

Reform or eliminate most homeowner subsidies

Reform and increase funding for affordable housing construction

Increase funding for direct rental assistance

Fund low- and zero-interest loans for housing acquisition and development

Part 3. Bringing it all together.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781642831344

1642831344

OCLC:

1190903932