The path to fixing California’s housing affordability crisis starts with the state capital. There have been numerous policy ideas swirling around Sacramento in recent years, from securing a permanent funding source for affordable housing to establishing some form of by-right legislation. But what policies will move the needle the most? Hear from the state’s leading expert on local government finance about how organizations across the state are joining forces to change the rules that drive affordability. Pre-registration is not required for…

In the face of rising rents, increased evictions and property sales, San Francisco launched its Small Sites Program in July 2014 to fund the acquisition and rehabilitation of 5- to 25-unit rental buildings. Participating partners are able to remove these small sites from the market, make important capital repairs and then restrict them for long-term affordability. To date, the program has assisted 78 units in 13 buildings, with more to come in 2017. Learn about how the program is working,…

Zoning is the basic regulatory tool for city planning and since its birth with the 1916 New York City Zoning Resolution, it has spent the last century constantly evolving. The tool has been pressed into the service of urban ambitions ranging from the mundane to the grand, and even sometimes the nefarious. Join a panel of scholars and practitioners for a retrospective on the first 100 years of zoning. More information here.  

Compact, efficient housing without bells and whistles often rents for less without requiring a subsidy, and SPUR has advocated for more of this kind of housing in order to address the region’s ongoing housing shortage. Join SPUR for a nuanced conversation on housing types that some consider more attainable or “affordable by design,” such as micro-units, in-law units and modular construction. Co-presented by ULI Silicon Valley. More information here.