Federal Policy | November 6, 2020
What We Know About Election 2020
While the ballots are still being counted in Election 2020, the contours of the 117th Congress and who will occupy the White House are coming into focus. Vice President Biden is on the cusp of victory after overtaking President Trump’s initial lead in Pennsylvania and Georgia, while growing his advantage in Nevada. President Trump and […]
Analysis | October 23, 2020
Salt Lake City Can Advance Housing Equity by Leaning into Accessible Growth
Earlier this week, I gave a presentation on Housing Underproduction in Utah to the Utah Land Use Institute at their 2020 Fall Meeting. What follows is a lightly edited version of my remarks. Since the 1960s, cities and states across the country have produced about 1.1 new housing units for every household formed – young people moving […]
Federal Policy | October 9, 2020
Economic Development Begins with Pro-Housing Policy
Few matters of public policy have as broad of an impact as housing. As we’ve written in our previous insights reports, housing is central to combating climate change. Transportation policy and planning is inextricably linked to housing, and vice versa. As housing goes, so goes the economy and economic recovery. Racial justice and equity cannot be achieved without […]
Federal Policy | September 25, 2020
Combatting the Housing Crisis in Rural America
The housing crisis in America is not one unique to big cities on the coasts. As shown by Up for Growth’s Housing Underproduction in the U.S., nearly every corner of the country bears part of the burden for the national 7.3 million home shortage. This is true for heavily rural areas and smaller cities, too. Though […]
Federal Policy | September 11, 2020
New Research Confirms the Benefits of “Light Touch” Density
The nation is in the midst of a major housing crisis, putting tremendous strain on families, individuals, and the economy. At the core of the crisis is a severe undersupply of homes, particularly in job and amenity-rich areas. Up for Growth research found that from 2000 – 2015, the U.S. fell 7.3 million homes short relative to housing […]
| August 21, 2020
With A.B. 2345, California Can Shrink Its Housing Shortage by 195,000 Homes Over the Next 5 Years
In an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and President Donald Trump claimed they will save America’s suburbs from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s “dystopian vision of building low-income housing units next to your suburban house.” In many ways, the op-ed read as a full-fledged embrace […]
| August 14, 2020
The Biden-Harris Ticket Has Major Implications for Housing Policy
On Tuesday, presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. The selection was historic; Senator Harris is the first Black woman and first Indian American on a major-party presidential ticket. Her inclusion could have big implications for housing policy, too. Representing a state at the epicenter of the […]
Federal Policy | August 7, 2020
The Looming Rent Crisis Will Not Solve Itself
For the past few months, Up for Growth Action has worked to support inclusion of federal emergency rental assistance in COVID relief legislation. With last week’s expiration of expanded unemployment benefits and the end of the federal eviction moratorium, the need for national rental assistance is at our doorstep. Just today, Kriston Capps at Bloomberg CityLab reported that the […]
Federal Policy | July 31, 2020
Housing for Every American Needs More than Reform: Public Comments Call for Federal Investment
Two weeks ago, we introduced the first part in our series reviewing responses to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD)’s Request for Information (RFI) as part of the work of the White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. This Insights Report is second and final in the series and focuses on […]
Federal Policy | July 24, 2020
As July Comes to a Close, the Rent Is Still Due for Millions of Americans
For months, Up for Growth Action has focused on advocating emergency rental assistance for those suffering from the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19. In May, we warned of a “looming rent crisis” after federal stimulus checks are spent, rent forbearance ends, and expanded unemployment insurance benefits expire. Later the same month, Up for […]
Federal Policy | July 17, 2020
Federal Register Comments Highlight Need for Both National and Local Housing Action
This post is the first of a two-part series in which we review responses to the administration’s Request for Information (RFI) as part of the work of the White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. An earlier Insights Report about Up for Growth’s response to the RFI can be found here. In […]
Federal Policy | July 10, 2020
The YIMBY Act Can Be a Catalyst for Housing Equity
The Black Lives Matter movement and the related protests across the country have led many to rethink, or think more deeply about, issues of racial and social equity in our society and the systems that have reinforced racism and exclusion. This is certainly true in housing. As our team said following the senseless deaths of George Floyd […]