Planners Lead The Way On Local Housing Reform
Housing reform refers to legislative and policy changes that aim to increase housing supply and attainability. Efforts to reduce regulatory barriers like outdated or restrictive zoning laws are key to boosting housing production, lowering construction costs, and diversifying the types of housing available in our communities.
Elected leaders are turning to community planners for their insights and data-backed policy ideas to overcome restrictive zoning and other barriers that prevent housing development in the places where people most need choice. Through federal support, planners are empowered to create the local reforms that best fit their communities' needs.
Latest News
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Passes in Congress
Congress passed the much-anticipated 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in a landslide vote on June 23, 2026, marking a years-in-the-making win for planning advocates and their communities nationwide.
For planners, the bill is more than a federal housing package. It is a recognition that local planning capacity, modern zoning tools, and implementation support are essential to expanding housing supply and affordability.
Housing Supply Accelerator
solutions and strategies to Increase local housing
The Housing Supply Accelerator is a national campaign to improve local capacity, identify critical solutions, and speed reforms that enable communities and developers to work together to produce, preserve and provide a diverse range of quality housing by realigning the efforts of public and private stakeholders in the housing sector to meet housing needs at the local level.
Learn more and Read the Playbook to get strategies on how to speed up housing development in your community.
Housing is a complex crisis that requires comprehensive solutions. Planners provide data-driven insights and expertise that can help policymakers improve public policies and investments that create housing abundance, efficient infrastructure, and lasting economic strength.
Hear from local policymakers how planning has produced positive outcomes in their communities:
From parking minimums to building more housing near transit, planners — together with decision-makers — are finding innovative, locally-led ways to make housing more affordable, accessible, and available to residents.
Learn how planners and elected officials are working together to create solutions for housing in communities of all sizes across the nation:
Allowing for a Range of Multiunit Housing Types
Modular Momentum: Boulder’s New Approach to Housing (Planning Magazine)
Columbus 'Zones In' on More Housing Amid Population Boom (APA Blog)
New Ordinance Aims to Boost Sacramento’s Housing Supply (APA Blog)
Eliminating Owner-Occupied Restrictions for Missing Middle Housing (APA Blog)
Housing diversity encourages age-friendly, accessible communities (Planning magazine)
Going Beyond "Use" Zoning to Promote Housing Equity (APA Blog)
Spokane's Interim Housing Ordinance Allowed City to Do "Some Great Things" (Planning magazine)
Eagle, Colorado Goes to Bat for Affordable Housing Solutions (Planning magazine)
Reducing Parking Minimums
The Push For Parking Reform (APA Blog)
How Sacramento Won Major Housing Gains with Zoning Reform (Planning magazine)
A Business Case for Dropping Parking Minimums (Planning magazine)
Three Zoning Reform Success Stories that Reignited Downtown Development (Planning magazine)
Making Space for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
What's at Stake: Zoning Reform with Arlova Vonhm, AICP (video)
New ADU Tools May Unlock Affordable Housing In Your Backyard (Planning magazine)
ADU Resources for Policymakers: From Model Legislation to Case Studies (Knowledgebase Collection)
Rural Communities Embrace ADUs to Boost Housing Supply (Planning magazine)
San Diego County Tackles Affordable Housing and Climate Change (podcast)
Repurposing Buildings as Homes
Adaptive Reuse Revives a Casket Factory as Affordable Housing (Planning magazine)
Unlock Suburban Housing Potential and Put Empty Offices to Work (APA Blog)
Transforming Empty Churches Into Affordable Housing Takes More Than a Leap of Faith (Planning magazine)
How Adaptive Reuse Can Help Solve the Housing Crisis (Planning magazine)
Yes, You Can Convert Vacant Retail to Housing (Planning magazine)
Linking Housing to Transportation
Bold Reforms Lead to Strong Outcomes
Sacramento planners increase housing through major zoning overhaul
Sacramento, California, is at the forefront of zoning reform, tackling some of the biggest challenges in housing supply and affordability. Tom Pace, the city's director of community development, shares how the city has embraced policies to remove barriers to housing production, modernize outdated regulations, and promote sustainable growth through one of the country's boldest zoning overhauls yet.
Have a question or thought to share about planners' work with elected officials to increase the nation's housing supply? Email housing@planning.org