Abt Global’s Post

As someone whose work has focused on state housing policies for many years, it has been amazing to see all the terrific recent work in state zoning reform in the U.S. The scale of the housing supply problem, however, needs some complementary strategies. In our new commentary, Jeff Lubell and I discuss four other strategies tied to: · Infrastructure · Workforce development · Offsite construction and · Comprehensive state housing strategies Check it out here and let me know your thoughts in the comments: https://lnkd.in/g7k_E3ei #AffordableHousingStrategies #LocalHousingStrategies #BeyondZoning #HousingSupply #StateHousingPolicy

Navigating the New State Significant Rezoning Policy Last week, the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, unveiled the new State Significant Rezoning Policy, designed to streamline the rezoning process in support of the NSW Government’s ambitious target of delivering 377,000 new homes by 2029. At Ethos Urban, we’ve thoroughly reviewed the policy:   **Key Benefits** 🔹 Fast-tracked approval for projects aligned with State priorities, allowing quicker delivery of housing and economic opportunities. 🔹 Direct recognition of State government objectives, bypassing local government delays. 🔹 Developments focused in growth-ready areas with established infrastructure, promoting sustainable expansion.   **Opportunities** 🔹 The policy promises greater certainty for developers, particularly for state-significant proposals. 🔹 A focus on efficient infrastructure use, enabling projects to thrive in areas ready for growth.   **Challenges** 🔹 No pathway for proponents to nominate sites, limiting flexibility for private developers. 🔹 The lack of legislative amendments may lead to ongoing delays and uncertainty in the rezoning process. 🔹 Pathway clarity issues could affect long-term effectiveness and project certainty.   Read our full analysis of the New State Significant Rezoning Policy 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g3Wv_hr2 At Ethos Urban, our expert team of planners, economists, social strategists, urban designers, and engagement practitioners is ready to help you navigate these complexities. If you’d like to understand how this policy could impact your project or portfolio, reach out to discuss how we can support you in engaging with the DPHI. Benjamin Craig, Paul Altree-Williams, Schandel Fortu, Nina Macken, Matthew Thrum

My Abt colleague, Naganika Sanga, and I have written a new commentary that examines state policies that are needed to complement zoning reform in order to boost #housingsupply. #Zoningreform is an important start, but it's not enough. States also need to focus on #infrastructure, #workforce development, #modularhousing and other offsite construction strategies, and developing comprehensive #state #housing strategies. https://lnkd.in/eDjHPGn8

“Housing growth will continue to be dictated by where our infrastructure will allow it. Council will hear more on those necessary infrastructure investments as part of the upcoming Water and Wastewater Master Plan.” Planning changes are only part of the challenges contributing to the housing affordability crisis. Massive contributions in infrastructure will be needed and funding from upper levels of government will be critical.

Excellent observations in Naganika Sanga and Jeff Lubell's recent blog post, especially insights about infrastructure. If we need more housing, we also need renewed state and federal support to build and maintain local schools, roads, sewage treatment, and water systems. Many states limit local property tax increases, making cities reluctant to zone for more housing because they think (often correctly) new housing won't pay its own way. If they upzone for by-right development, they lose negotiating power to get developers to pay for infrastructure. Local impact fees can avoid some of this problem; Alan Altshuler and Jose A. Gomez-Ibanez observed 30+ years ago (Regulation for Revenue) that fees can avert moratoria--and I would add, reduce reluctance to upzone. But fees are definitely only a less-bad alternative to downzoning, negotiated exactions, or moratoria; that's why Sanga and Lubell are so on-target when they say states need to fund more local infrastructure. (And so do the feds.) https://lnkd.in/eDFsRXzi

Bellingham needs more housing and there is vacant buildable land, but much of this land needs the infrastructure (roads, sewer, water) in place to support new homes. With rising costs of labor and materials, infrastructure projects have only gotten more expensive to build, making the costs difficult for developers and jurisdictions to shoulder. But, P3s, AKA Public-Private partnerships, could be one solution that encourages builders and jurisdictions to get creative about ways to cover the costs of infrastructure projects. While the vision must be aligned to benefit the people, private companies often have the luxury of experience, manpower, and time that governments may not. When these partnerships are well-managed, they can provide the essential public goods and services needed to support more housing. 🏡 . . . #PublicPrivatePartnerships #BuildableLand #Infrastructure #CommunityDevelopment #BellinghamPlan

Great to have the Guide to Housing & Infrastructure Standards in Town Camps published after working with Michael Klerck, Anna Flouris, Vanessa Napaltjarri Davis and Denise Foster from Tangentyere Council for the past 7 years on the substantial housing and infrastructure issues within the Town Camps of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). The Guide outlines the housing and infrastructure regulations that should apply within Town Camps, like they do in another places in Australia, but too often fall short. One of its important reference points is the Closing the Gap report relating to Target 9B. It aims to ensure that by 2031, all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander households receive Essential Services that meet the same standards as apply generally within a town, and to relevant jurisdictional standards. The recently released Closing the Gap 2023 Annual Report once again provided no data for Target 9B, stating that it was "not able to be reported against as there is no data source currently available which includes all required data elements". For the Town Camps of Mparntwe we've shown both the Gap, and how the data can be provided. Going forward, it should be a simple move to address these inequities.

Planning laws need to follow through for GWS communities. Dialogue CEO Adam Leto spoke to the ABC about planning laws that see large developments built on the fringes of Greater Western Sydney without the adequate road infrastructure. Some suburbs like Tallawong have residents in multi-storey apartment blocks squeezing two-way traffic down one-lane roads which is affecting the liveability of these communities. Mr Leto urged the NSW Government to ensure the rapid growth of the region isn’t hampered by planning anomalies that compromise the quality of Western Sydney suburbs. "We've got hundreds of thousands of homes being built in Western Sydney over the next five years. These sorts of things can't be happening," he said. "The new State government reforms introduced last year will go some way towards preventing these sort of situations from happening again, but it once again highlights the importance of future development and critical infrastructure, being planned, and delivered, in parallel.” Read the story below ⬇

SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, has allocated $482,000 in Planning Assistance Program funding to support 14 local projects in FY2025. These projects span five priority areas: - Transportation and Infrastructure Equity - Complete Streets and Corridor Safety - Trails and Greenways - Stormwater Management - Placemaking and Active Transportation Projects include: - 𝗔𝘂𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀: $40,000 to develop a plan to manage and budget for stormwater improvements. - 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼: $40,000 for asset inventory and capital improvement planning to ensure affordable, sustainable, and safe facilities, focusing on sidewalks and utilities. - 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆: $45,000 to create countywide complete streets guidelines, including a preliminary design guide for the various types of corridors. Learn more about all of the projects here: https://shorturl.at/EJE8N Amy O'Leary Oakland County Times Macomb County Government Oakland County, Michigan Government Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce #sbndetroit #sustainablebusinessnetwork #sustainablebusinessnetworkdetroit #sustainablebusiness #southeastmichigan #planning #communities #assets #capitalimprovement #villageofromeo #sustainability #efficiency #reliability #accessibility

Adding Up the Costs of Sprawl: Highs and Lows of Municipal Infrastructure Costs for Housing, Eric Aderneck, Building Magazine. https://lnkd.in/gcbB3TQs Based on a literature review and informational interviews, case studies, and financial analyses, the article explores ways to allocate servicing costs for different housing typologies, while uncovering many methodological challenges to calculate precise results.