Renewed Interest in Government-Supported Housing

While the government can affect housing development indirectly through legislation, it can also take more direct action through the construction of social housing, which is either publicly funded or funded by nonprofits.

Though this is more common internationally, some U.S. states are expressing interest in social housing as a means of mitigating the affordable housing crisis. In 2024, a proposal in New York sought to establish a Social Housing Development Authority to create thousands of homes throughout the state, built by unions. Montgomery County, Maryland, is already taking action: in 2023, the county's first new social housing project opened, with more following suit. And in 2024, the Los Angeles city council approved a plan to explore master leasing, which would allow the government to rent units from private landlords and sublease them to tenants who may have difficulty qualifying for rentals.

As these new approaches gain ground in the U.S., planners may want to consider them for local implementation as housing becomes increasingly limited and unaffordable.