Bettman Session: Reforming Zoning: State Responses to the Housing Crisis

This course is approved for 1.00 Illinois MCLE general credit hours.

The housing affordability crisis is prompting a national realignment in planning and law. Although planners have long been aware of the equity and sustainability consequences of the built environment, particularly with respect to single-family residential development patterns, the dearth of affordable housing is now prompting lawmakers to take note of these consequences, too. Already, state legislatures across the United States are taking action to reform 100-year-old zoning enabling laws with the goal of encouraging more affordable housing construction. These reforms, which will govern planners' day-to-day work, include everything from requiring local governments to allow middle housing and accessory dwelling units in single-family neighborhoods, to expediting permitting timelines and reducing fees, allowing more mixed-use development, and providing tax tools to facilitate housing development. This presentation will describe these recent changes and how new data sources, such as the National Zoning Atlas, are informing them. It will also provide planners with strategies to implement pro-housing policies in their communities, from compliance with updated zoning enabling laws to public engagement and advocacy strategies. Planners will lead efforts to overhaul plans and codes to comply with state law, and this presentation will offer the legal knowledge and practical skills to do so.

Additional Resources
How to Make a Zoning Atlas 2.0
Table of State Zoning Reforms
CHAP- Preemption Memorandum

Access this session with closed captions through Wordly