This report provides a conceptual framework for thinking about how more people can live and work near transit, near the major regional investments that county residents are paying for, in ways that maximize social benefits and minimize social costs.
Eliminating the Mortgage Interest Deduction would generate new revenue for the federal government — in 2014, it cost the U.S. Treasury more than $100 billion. An expansion of such magnitude might allow us to cover all the households in LA County eligible for housing subsidies.
Ballot box growth revolts, where residents force a referendum to restrict new development, can have longlasting repercussions for communities. Such revolts are rare, but they shed light on long-standing discontent with local land use planning that is important for policymakers and planners to acknowledge and understand.
While LA has recently made great strides increasing its production of affordable homes, the gains to new housing are partially offset by the loss of older affordable units.
In recent years, vacant homes have increasingly been identified as a potential indicator of speculation or otherwise underutilized housing stock. Recently constructed market-rate and mixed-income housing, in particular, has been cast as villain in this debate, with relatively high vacancy rates taken as a sign that this type of housing isn’t needed. Using Los Angeles as a case study, this working paper explores the nature, extent, and causes of housing vacancy, and draws conclusions about what should be done about vacant homes in high-cost locations like L.A.
This article responds to other commentaries and responses to It’s "Time to End Single-Family Zoning."
Local governments face new rules as they begin updating their local Housing Elements for the 2021-29/2022-30 planning period. This brief proposes a new way for cities to approach the sites inventory to meet their housing targets, moving beyond simply identifying vacant and underutilized parcels.
Building new housing appears to be part of the housing crisis solution. However, this brief finds that opposition to development is high due to fear of personal losses and resentment of developer gains.
In this Viewpoints, the authors write how R1 zoning in the United States promotes exclusion and exacerbates inequality, benefiting homeowners at the expense of renters and limiting access to high-opportunity places. They argue that these negative impacts outweigh weak arguments for R1 and that planners should work to abolish it.
California’s worsening housing crisis has triggered an intense debate about rent control. This brief examines how local jurisdictions have considerable leeway in reforming their rent control programs, such as Los Angeles’ rent-stabilization ordinance.
