August 14: What we’re reading
Some articles we found interesting this week:
1. Raleigh City Council enacted a set of regulatory reforms over the past year to legalize “Missing Middle Housing.” Though the changes prompted virtually no opposition while they were under consideration, a recent plan to build townhomes in the Hayes Barton neighborhood made possible by those reforms is generating significant community angst. Similarly, Charlotte City Council is struggling to enact some of the same regulatory reforms. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the 2 largest cities in NC. Here are two articles discussing the issues:
WRAL: Neighbors challenge Raleigh’s ‘missing middle’ zoning changes to build luxury townhomes
Axios Charlotte: A reality check on Charlotte’s single-family zoning changes
2. Here is an interesting study from the nonprofit Utah Foundation exploring how Missing Middle regulatory reform can help address the need to increase housing supply. It also discusses how opposition by existing single-family homeowners is a significant barrier to building new housing.
Utah Foundation: Is the Middle Missing? A Guide to Expanding Options for Utah Homebuyers and Renters
3. Governing Magazine published an interview with Katherine Levine Einstein about her book “Neighborhood Defenders” that explores how the passive approach to community engagement used across the country tends to favor the interests of older, wealthier, white homeowners because they are more likely to attend public meetings and oppose new housing proposals.
Governing: Public Meetings Thwart Housing Reform Where It Is Needed Most
4. HUD published a study in 2021 discussing the barriers to affordable housing and offering a variety of ways to increase housing supply, including many of the regulatory reforms Raleigh is implementing like legalizing “Missing Middle” housing, accessory dwelling units, relaxing minimum lot sizes and setbacks, as well as eliminating minimum parking requirements. The authors also discuss the need to recalibrate community engagement to address the over-representation of older, white homeowners because they often resist new housing developments during public meetings. On page 27, the report specifically mentions how Raleigh “eliminated its neighborhood councils in favor of a more systematic approach to public outreach.” This report is a great resource that explains many aspects of the Country’s housing affordability crisis.
HUD: New Housing in High-Productivity Metropolitan Areas: Encouraging Production
5. Here is an interesting article discussing how remote work, the arrival of home-owning millennials, and other forces could influence the evolution of suburbs.
Vox: What if the suburbs were just a first draft?
6. The housing affordability crisis is a national problem and COVID seems to have only made it worse.
The Atlantic: How California Exported Its Worst Problem to Texas
7. Like other cities across the country, housing costs are rising rapidly in Raleigh. There is good news, however. The situation is not as bad here as it is in many other parts of the country, and it may even improve if the City’s recent regulatory reforms are given a chance to work.
INDYWeek: Raleigh (Surprisingly) Has One Of The Smallest Affordable Housing Shortages Nationwide
8. The New York Times published an article about a study exploring the benefits of social interactions between rich and poor residents living in mixed-income affordable housing communities.
New York Times: Vast New Study Shows a Key to Reducing Poverty: More Friendships Between Rich and Poor
9. Finally, you might enjoy this interview in The Atlantic discussing issues confronting residents of gentrifying neighborhoods.
The Atlantic: The Real Problem With City Life Today