Texas continues to kick our ass, this is fvcking brilliant. This law legalizes development & preempts cities over 150k from imposing - Density limits below 36 unit/acre - Heigh restrictions below 45ft - Setbacks over 25ft - Parking reqs over 1/unit States are engaged in a race to the top—competing for growth by building housing. And right now, despite all of the energy around these issues on the left, the red states are extending their lead. https://t.co/AtNl6XIgUG— Yoni Appelbaum (@YAppelbaum) May 20, 2025
Man, Fck Texas. They can have their cheaper housing and car centered bullshit. Who TF wants to be subject to Abbot's and Paxton's fascist governance?
Why can't we have the good housing policy with out the fascism. The answer may be that liberal/Democrats government that has to make everyone in the coalition happy has to always over regulate everything.
Here ya go. https://www.sightline.org/2025/05/15/washington-takes-statewide-zoning-reform-to-the-next-level/
Washington, Colorado and Delaware are doing good things, some cities like Minneapolis are also stepping up. Unfortunately other blue states are falling behind. https://constructioncoverage.com/research/counties-with-the-most-housing-growth-last-decade
Chicago failure Chicago spends over twice as much as Houston to build new affordable housing because the bidding process only weights cost containment at 3% I didn’t realize that a basic reason affordable housing costs so much is that the actual cost carries such a low weight in winning the bid pic.twitter.com/8vwss2CmDO— Arpit Gupta (@arpitrage) May 25, 2025
Texas is so fvcking weird. They ban weed, porn, abortions, but are fvcking kicking ass in terms of housing. More and better housing for Texans is on the way. Working together with House author Rep. @JamesTalarico, today we passed my Senate Bill 2835, clearing away old codes and outdated modes, allowing for the construction of small-footprint apartment buildings with new materials and… pic.twitter.com/hvr13geoY2— Senator Nathan Johnson (@NathanForTexas) May 27, 2025
They are doing housing much better than my State. Moments ago: TX SB 15 just passed in AustinWhat changes on 9/1/25:• Cities >150k can’t require lots > 1,400 sf (min 20′ × 60′)• Single-family districts can now hit 31 units/acre—townhome scale by-right• Setbacks capped at 5′; only 1 parking space/unit required; no… pic.twitter.com/KgpAdtgALv— Barrett Linburg (@DallasAptGP) May 28, 2025
This is such a good idea that I doubt it will pass, it would allow the company that runs Chicago subway to buy land around train stops and develop it (will they provide funds?) this is how rail systems in Asia stay profitable. Today, lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow Chicagoland transit agencies to develop real estate around their stations. This is a 'value capture' model, which is used in Japan and Hong Kong to generate profit from transit, which then funds transit expansion.Here's a… https://t.co/2wQmWRXId3 pic.twitter.com/inPAjB2SCc— Michael McLean (@cornoisseur) May 29, 2025
Some nice photos of the doomed city I live in, plus views upstream and downstream. See Southeast Louisiana from above: Industry and life along the Mississippi River and New Orleans | Photos | nola.com
Here is a different look at where, why, and potential problems of NIMBY as well as low regulation areas/states.
The cost of Public housing in Washington DC Genuinely, how are we this bad at building Affordable housing? The amount of waste here is disgraceful. https://t.co/xy7Nx1SwhH pic.twitter.com/94UOB0liuo— YIMBYLAND (@YIMBYLAND) June 6, 2025 I would like to see a line item cost breakdown to compare why public housing build costs are more than market housing build costs. > $1.2M to build an Affordable apartment> $350k to build a market-rate apartmentThis is supremely fucked. Frankly, there is ZERO good reason for why it should cost a single penny more to develop affordable apartments than it does market-rate apartments. https://t.co/NfmH4FVVls pic.twitter.com/SjR8oilDdD— YIMBYLAND (@YIMBYLAND) June 6, 2025
More DC news, fare avoidance was reduced by around 80% That is good for public transit funding. If you want people to use public transit, make it safe and clean. This is how you do that: https://t.co/j4LZHQtT6R— Noah Smith 🐇 (@Noahpinion) June 5, 2025
I'm on Metro right now. I did notice the higher gates, but also saw two very brazen young men hop the gate in front of two employees.
This is the kind of shit that happens when you get rid of the profit motive. Once cost no longer have to be less than expected revenue, cost controls become irrelevant and all kinds of well intended but stupid ideas become possible. I just can't get over the disparityA rooftop vegetable garden ... but no in-unit washer and dryer!?!Maybe it was to hit some kind of green/sustainability metrics?"Live here and pick your own food and do your own washing. By hand!" https://t.co/U5sAWX2CBH— Bobby Fijan (@bobbyfijan) June 6, 2025 1.2MM per affordable unit in DC ...The units ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/AtNoVLJraw pic.twitter.com/oCF5N0ZAeE— Bobby Fijan (@bobbyfijan) June 6, 2025
Looks like some of California pro housing regulations are having a positive effect, NIMBY townships are finally figuring out that lawsuits are not going to help them. “Our options have been reduced to approving this development or enduring an unwinnable legal battle that will drain our resources by over $3.5 million, only to be compelled by a judge to allow it regardless.” Is...YIMBYism starting to work in California? In my town: pic.twitter.com/InJlmZnr87— daeveningglow (@InlandCaGuy) June 17, 2025
Texas is having a lot of of pro YIMBY legislation. "With the passage of HB 24, we’ve restored fairness to local zoning decisions and protected your right to build on your own land." 🚨 BREAKING: Texas Just ENDED the Tyrant’s Veto 🛑THANK YOU @Burrows4TX, @GregAbbott_TX, @SenBryanHughes and @AngeliaOrrForTX 👏With the passage of HB 24, we’ve restored fairness to local zoning decisions and protected your right to build on your own land.Here’s what… pic.twitter.com/T7wspbuTs5— Texans for Reasonable Solutions (@TXReasSolutions) June 21, 2025
North Carolina doing YIMBY shit, good for them, I wish my State could. "BOOM! The North Carolina State House just unanimously (107 to 0) passed a ban on parking minimums in new developments statewide." BOOM! The North Carolina State House just unanimously (107 to 0) passed a ban on parking minimums in new developments statewide.This is powerful and bipartisan pro-housing reform that will make it easier to expand multifamily housing. Great work.https://t.co/6gScxOr7fP pic.twitter.com/N4oBo24iuj— Carolina Forward (@ForwardCarolina) June 25, 2025
A lot of mayors have been doing this all over the place. I’d like to see parking lots with mandatory covered parking w/solar panels or trees (unless it’s surrounded by tall buildings).
Replying here as this is where a lot of the housing development discussion is taking place. I will say, I am both not surprised but also amused that a key factor seems to be the education of the population. What frustrates me about this is the same thing that frustrates me about education: in education, when lower performing students are introduced to a higher performing school, not just the performance, but the behaviors improve. While I haven't seen (looked for) data regarding housing in a while, what I have seen is that introducing poor people into a wealthier environment achieves a similar result.
I have professional experience in this, and in those experiences, it’s because government workers not named superdave don’t think like that. They treat the federal money that passes through a PHA as found money. Like, if you earn 20 dollars, you’re going to spend it wisely, but if you find a $20 bill on the sidewalk, you’ll spend it in lottery tickets or booze. I literally asked someone in charge of millions annually about that and she looked at me like I had two heads. She literally didn’t understand why I asked her if there was a better way to leverage federal money to provide more housing. There was a lot of “but that’s not how we do it” spluttering. (In that case I have a sneaking suspicion that the head honcho, her boss, had pals in the development world in that area and he had the mentality of an army general in charge of procurement and 3 years from retirement.) Another contributing factor is that in general, being a HUD employee working their way up in DC to get into a job where you write the specs, and working for a local PHA, are two parallel lines that never meet. Two entirely different career paths. If @The Devil's Architect is lurking he might chime in here with his own professional experience.
Exactly. I thought about it like a capitalist. How do we maximize the outcome given these inputs? Most of the folks I interacted with thought like sailors on leave.
One theme in NC politics is that GOPs control the legislature, and their power base is the various Bum********s around the state. When a city wants to do something that works in Charlotte or Raleigh, etc., they outlaw it as part of the culture war. Remember the bathroom bill controversy? Charlotte passes an ordinance and then Senator Cletus from Greenville and representative Becky Jean from Greene County* leapt into action to override it. Same thing when Cary (home to the Courage) proposed municipal wi fi. GOPs got outraged that Cary was going to spend its own money to do something for Cary. Me, if I thought it was a bad idea, and I wasn’t from Cary, I’d just laugh it off and let them waste their money. Being from Raleigh I wanted to let Cary experiment and test the idea. Steal it if it worked, and point and laugh if it didn’t. Just like congressmen no longer represent their voters but instead represent their parties, our state legislators no longer represent their towns. I’ll bet that has happened in your state too. It’s just another manifestation of our system not working anymore. ANYWAY…good for our legislature. *North Carolina has a Greensboro and a Greenville and neither is in Greene County. Same deal with Asheboro, Asheville, and Ashe County. Is your state like that too?