Local laws often prohibit the construction of dense new housing, leading to higher housing prices, especially in a few large high-wage metropolitan areas (e.g., New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.). More permissive policy could contribute to both affordable housing and the continued growth of centers of economic activity. Working toward more permissive policy in those key regions from a public-interest perspective (as opposed to lobbying for specific developments) appears neglected considering the significant potential gains.
We do not currently have a full-time staff member dedicated to this cause. Otis Reid leads our grantmaking in this area.
For more on why we chose land use reform as a focus area, see our public cause report (March 2015) used in our process for selecting focus areas.
Illustrative grants
A complete list of our grants in the area of land use reform can be found here. Grants include:
