From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high housing costs and household instability. In most cities, debates over the appropriate course of action have been defined by two poles: building more housing or enacting stronger tenant protections. These options are often treated as mutually exclusive, with support for one implying opposition to the other.
Shane Phillips takes on this tension in The Affordable City, arguing that effectively addressing the housing crisis requires that cities support both tenant protections and housing abundance. To improve affordability, cities must build new homes that serve all people and accommodate the needs of a growing population and changing demographics. At the same time, they must also protect existing residents from harm and help them share in the benefits of investment in their communities.
Phillips explains that the solution to America's housing crisis comes down to three priorities that he calls the Three S's: Supply, Stability, and Subsidy. Supply is about having enough homes for everyone. Stability is about recognizing and upholding the dignity of housing, especially related to tenant protections and rental housing preservation. Subsidy is about ensuring that everyone enjoys the benefits of abundant housing and stable, accessible communities. Far from being in conflict, these three goals can and should be mutually reinforcing, both technically and politically.
In The Affordable City, Phillips offers 55 policy recommendations, beginning with a set of principles and general recommendations that should apply to all housing policy. These are followed by sections covering the Three S's of Supply, Stability, and Subsidy, with a moral and economic case for why each is essential and recommendations for making them work together. Phillips ends with a policy blueprint and implementation plan for each policy, including whether it should be pursued as an immediate, medium-term, or long-term priority.
To address the housing crisis, we need everyone in the fight. The Affordable City is an essential tool for professional city planners, policymakers, public officials, and advocates working to improve affordability and increase community resilience through local action.
Introduction Part I: Principles and General Recommendations 1. Pursue the Three S's (Supply, Stability, and Subsidy) Simultaneously 2. Take Action Now 3. Focus on Institutional Reform 4. Adapt Solutions to the Needs of Your Community 5. Center Voices of, and Outcomes for, the Disenfranchised and Most Vulnerable 6. Use a Mix of Mandates and Incentives 7. Know What You're Asking For 8. Pick One: Rising Home Values or Housing Affordability 9. Don't Reward Idle Money 10. Don't Coddle Landlords 11. Track Everything 12. Strive for Objective, Consistent Rules 13. Expand the Conversation around Gentrification 14. Align Local Votes with Presidential and Midterm Elections Part II: Policies Supply: Why Housing Matters 15. Upzone a Lot (Upzoning: High Capacity) 16. Upzone Many Places at Once (Upzoning: Geographically Distributed) 17. Focus Upzones in Accessible and High-Opportunity Areas (Upzoning: Targeted) 18. Find the Upzoning Sweet Spot: Not Too Big, Not Too Small (Upzoning: Rightsized) 19. Allow Housing in Commercial Zones (Mixed-Use Zoning) 20. Make It Expensive to Reduce the Supply of Homes (Home Sharing) 21. Eliminate Density Limits in Most Places (Density Limits) 22. Eliminate Parking Requirements Everywhere (Parking Minimums) 23. Let Renters Decide What They Value (Micro-units) 24. Make Development Approvals By Righta (By-Right Development) 25. Speed Up the Entitlement Process (Faster Approvals) 26. Explore Other Ways to Bring Down Development Costs (Input Costs) 27. Promote Counter-cyclical Home Building (Counter-cyclical Development) Stability: Why Tenant Protections and Rental Housing Preservation Matter 28. Place Moderate Restrictions on Rent Increases for Nearly All Housing (Anti-Gouging) 29. Place Stronger Restrictions on Rent Increases for Older Housing (Rent Stabilization) 30. Be Careful with Vacancy Control 31. Implement Inclusionary Zoning and Density Bonuses 32. Discourage Redevelopment That Requires Renter Displacement (Displacement Compensation and Right of Return) 33. Implement Replacement Housing Mandates 34. Make Affordability Requirements Permanent (Affordability Covenant Duration) 35. Buy Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing with Public Funds 36. Require Transparency from Voluntary Tenant Buyouts 37. Prioritize Displaced Tenants for Affordable Housing Placement (Preferential Placement) 38. Limit the Ability of Landlords to Go Out of Businessa (Rental Housing Preservation) 39. Use Just-Cause Protections to Discourage Evictions 40. Require Government Notification for All Eviction Notices and Rent Hikes (Landlord Transparency) 41. Offer Free or Reduced-Cost Legal Counsel to Residents Facing Eviction (Right to Counsel) 42. Enforce Housing and Building Codes 43. Eliminate Discrimination against People with Housing Choice Vouchers 44. Prioritize Stability over Wealth Creation (Homeownership Assistance) Subsidy: Why Government Spending and Public Programs Matter 45. Institute a Progressive Tax on Home Sales (Real Estate Transfer Tax) 46. Tax Flippeda Houses at Higher Rates 47. Utilize Property Taxes 48. Tax Underutilized and Vacant Property 49. Don't Sell Public Land; Lease It (Public Land and P3s) 50. Minimize Impact Fees and Charge Them Equitably 51. Don't Let Small Buildings off the Hook (Missing Middle) 52. Reform or Eliminate Most Homeowner Subsidies 53. Reform and Increase Funding for Affordable Housing Construction 54. Increase Funding for Direct Rental Assistance 55. Fund Low- and Zero-Interest Loans for Housing Acquisition and Development Part III: Bringing It All Together Conclusion Appendix: Development and Real Estate Economics 101
