Inclusionary Housing: Tales from the Front

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to articulate the role that inclusionary zoning plays — and can play — in the bigger affordable-housing and equity picture
• How to make a list of tasks and key steps that are required to develop or revise an inclusionary-housing policy in your community, including necessary consultant and staff work
• How to connect with other planners and housing professionals about the affordable-housing needs in your community, and how inclusionary zoning can contribute to your goals

MORE SESSION DETAILS

Planners across the country are facing a housing-equity dilemma: as our urban economies grow, who gets to take part and who has to struggle to stay in place? Inclusionary housing — requiring market-rate developments to provide affordable units or contribute housing fees – originated in response to racially exclusionary zoning policies. As urban housing markets have tightened, the policy has grown into a critical affordable-housing tool in many cities. This panel is a unique opportunity to explore the lessons learned from some of the most ambitious and innovative efforts of recent years. New York City adopted a pioneering mandatory inclusionary housing policy in 2015 that requires permanent affordable housing wherever new housing capacity is approved. Last year, San Francisco overhauled its longstanding policy to serve middle-income residents for the first time. Across the country, from Seattle to Atlanta, inclusionary housing is getting a fresh look from planners and policy makers. Join national housing experts and planners from cities on the front lines of the affordability crisis for a conversation about the renewed nationwide interest in inclusionary housing. Learn how these policies work, how they fit into the broader housing picture, and what this could mean in your community.