How housing victories in San Diego, Austin, and Atlanta could spread nationwide
As rents and homelessness climbed in San Diego over the last decade, leaders watched in frustration as affordable housing projects took months to get approved. The longer a project dragged on, the more expensive it became. Housing in America is notoriously slow and complicated to build, so San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria decided to […]
Three American cities, San Diego, Austin, and Atlanta, have implemented housing reforms that could serve as a blueprint for cities nationwide. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria sped up project approvals by signing an executive order in 2023, mandating a maximum 30 business days for reviewing fully affordable projects. This resulted in a significant increase in housing permits, with 9,691 homes approved in 2023, an 82% increase from the previous year.
Austin, Texas, took a different approach by legalizing up to three homes on most single-family lots and reducing the minimum lot size from 5,750 square feet to 1,800 in 2024. This change enabled the addition of homes, including backyard accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and contributed to a decrease in rents. Austin is now one of the few major cities where asking rents have fallen since the pandemic.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens adopted a unique strategy without changing any laws by forming a "housing strike force" comprising the heads of various public agencies. This team has helped the city advance its goal of building or preserving 20,000 affordable homes by 2030. Every housing deal now goes through the mayor's office, and he uses his authority to push them through efficiently.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has taken notice of these successes and plans to fund up to 30 cities to adopt one of these three housing ideas. Each city will receive between $450,000 and $750,000 in funding, along with two years of support from Accelerator for America and the digital consultancy Public Digital. The philanthropy chose cities where mayors have already taken hard political stances on zoning and are eager for assistance in implementing these reforms.
The timing of Bloomberg's funding aligns with the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which creates federal grants for cities to modernize permitting, preapproved housing plans, and open public land. Mayors hope that with Bloomberg's funding and hand-holding, they can overcome the challenges of organizing and executing these successful housing strategies.
However, the impact of short-term funding on long-term sustainability remains a concern, particularly in cities without the same depth of housing staff as San Diego, Austin, and Atlanta.
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