A growing movement of grassroots organizing to support new housing construction is having an impact in city halls across the country.
Fed up with high housing costs and the commonly hostile reception to new housing proposals, advocacy groups have sprung up in many communities to attend public meetings to speak in support of developments. A Boston University housing researcher quoted in a Boston Globe article says these groups are having a notable impact on housing politics in Massachusetts.
The nationwide YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) movement has helped to prompt zoning changes in many states, both red and blue. While some states including Massachusetts, which recently implemented a rezoning mandate in communities served by the Boston area’s public transportation service, are taking action on the state level; much of the work to spur more housing construction has to be done on the local level.
That’s where these pro-housing groups can have a real impact. If local officials hear positive takes on new development as well as opposing voices, they will be more likely to support new housing construction in their communities.
Lack of housing is an urgent problem in many communities around Boston, the Globe reported. For example, over the last decade, Waltham, a Boston suburb, has added more than 10,000 jobs, but only 1,600 housing units.
Related Stories
Green | Apr 22, 2015
AIA Committee on the Environment recognizes Top 10 Green Projects
Seattle's Bullitt Center and the University Center at The New School are among AIA's top 10 green buildings for 2015.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 16, 2015
3 award-winning affordable multifamily developments
San Francisco's Bayview Hill Gardens and the Broadway Affordable Housing complex in Santa Monica, Calif., are among the multifamily developments to be honored in AIA's 2015 Housing Awards.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 16, 2015
Seattle’s size restriction on micro apartments blamed for rise in rents
Seattle’s city planner recently said that the council’s new rules have made small apartments more expensive to build and charged the board with “overreaching” and not giving micro-housing “a fair shake.”
High-rise Construction | Apr 16, 2015
Construction begins on Seattle's Tibet-inspired Potala Tower
Construction on the 41-story Potala Tower in Seattle finally kicked off following a ground-breaking ceremony seven months ago.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 13, 2015
Figure-eight shaped hotel to open around PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics Facility
Just three miles away from the Olympic stadiums, the hotel will be a hub of its own.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 9, 2015
Multifamily development and transactions haven’t taken a breather yet
Despite predictions about an impending softening in multifamily construction, builders and developers continue to expand their market reach and portfolios.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 8, 2015
Roof air leakage issues in multifamily buildings isn’t just 'hot air' talk
Paladino's Robert Hayes talks about venting regulations in New York and how air leaks can cost residents upwards of $3,000 a year.
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2015
$100 billion 'city from scratch' taking shape in Saudi Arabia
The new King Abdullah Economic City was conceived to diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy by focusing more in its shipping industry.
High-rise Construction | Apr 6, 2015
Melbourne tower will light up depending on weather
The tower will be illuminated by 164-foot-tall beams of LED light based on weather updates from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 2, 2015
Historic Cabrini Green church to be demolished for tech-focused multifamily development
The infamous neighborhood’s Saint Dominic’s Church “was instrumental in taming a part of the city that grew up from the swamps as a lawless district of vice and poverty,” according to the Chicago Architecture blog.