One part of the solution…
CEO at Up for Growth | Leading Federal Pro-Housing Advocacy | Driving Cross-Sector Solutions to the Housing Shortage
Incisive piece from Semafor on Congress's YIMBY moment. As reporter Jordan Weissmann writes, "the idea that the U.S. needs to start dismantling barriers to housing development does appear to have bipartisan legs in Washington." Read more: https://lnkd.in/ewnnPgWV.
Chair, HTA Design LLP, designers and placemakers in the built environment. Past President, RIBA. President, London Forum of Amenity & Civic Societies. Commissioner, Historic England. All views expressed are my own.
Despite the protestations of some, a piece this week in Housing Today clarifies the new Government's position on 'Beauty': 'Helpfully, if a little unusually, the ministry published a “tracked changes” copy of the original (NPPF) document to demonstrate the extent of the alterations. So, Housing Today has sifted through the polished-up framework, and the associated consultation documents, to find out what is now in and what is out. OUT: ‘Beauty’ and the ‘beautiful’ Some things really stick out when you share “tracked changes”, and one of those is when someone has combed through a whole document to remove every instance of a word. Keir Starmer had been sounding almost Govian in the run-up to the general election, with his talk of building new towns replete with Georgian-style townhouses. But, when the new NPPF document dropped, one of the starkest amendments was the removal of all references to “beauty” or the “beautiful”, which consequently triggered outrage from some on the (now much depleted) Conservative benches. Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Rayner defended the decision, describing the inclusion of “beauty” in the NPPF as “ridiculous” and “subjective”. She explained: “Beautiful means nothing really, it means one thing to one person and another thing to another […] all that wording was doing was preventing and blocking development and that’s why we think it is too subjective.” My own piece in this august organ from last November, entitled "Notions of 'beauty' should not be too prominent in our planning system" put it that, 'Unfortunately, the ultimately simplistic notion that the planning system can be based on an institutional interpretation of what is beautiful, and what is not, has led inevitably to an utterly meaningless polarisation over the issue. Both I, and the architectural profession which at one time I represented as its [RIBA] president, have been accused of ‘not liking beauty’ and ‘not caring what buildings look like’. For the record, neither I, nor any architect I have ever known can be accused of that! Of course we love beauty – only as one of a number of attributes. More than two millennia ago, the Roman architect and engineer, Vitruvius asserted all buildings should not only manifest beauty (venustas) but also two other attributes: strength (firmitas) and utility, (utilitas). That we should wish for a beautiful built environment is unarguable, but as a premise for decision-making in planning, it is clearly inadequate on its own.'
A National Urban Policy has the potential to deliver stronger communities, only if we learn from our past, improve coordination across all levels of government and align on what kind of legacy we choose to leave for future generations. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gce4bjKP
This is an excellent and rather detailed analysis of a fundamental and mischaracterized issue in our world. The bottom line is quite profound: not only is there no such thing as "rural rage," marginalized rural and urban communities have a great deal in common. How might we cross this divide and create mutually beneficial, collaborative connections between #urban and #rural? 🤔 https://lnkd.in/etyVfJdK
“Gentrification is not integration but a new form of segregation. The borders around the ghettos have simply been rebuilt.” — Peter Moskowitz I’m currently listening to *How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood* by Peter Moskowitz, and it’s a compelling exploration of how gentrification reshapes our cities and communities. Join me on Audible and dive into this eye-opening book: [https://lnkd.in/eveuWwhs)
TAKE ACTION: Suffield, CT’s Town Green has served as a public forum since 1670, but local officials have proposed policies that threaten this age-old tradition and violate the First Amendment. FIRE wrote a letter to the town last week to express our concerns. Now we’re asking YOU to join in the action! Click the link below to learn more and, if you agree with us, fill out the form to send an email urging Suffield’s government to revise the proposed Town Green policy. When you’re done, don’t forget to share this post! ⬇️ #towngreen #publicforum #freespeech #americantradition
In Juno Beach (pop. 3,800), a debate over a proposed code of conduct imploded into a public confrontation over Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and lead to a council resignation - spotlighting how even small-town governance grapples with free speech and civil discourse in 2024. Meanwhile across the county: 🗳Several cities won't hold March elections due to uncontested seats. 🦎 Lake Worth Beach's second public pool just closed (the first closed in 2017). ✈️ A new $150K museum exhibition reveals how tourism created modern Palm Beach County. The through line? How our communities balance growth, governance, and the preservation of what makes Palm Beach County unique. Stet brings you important community news and real-time insight into one of Florida's fastest-growing business markets. From uncontested local elections to infrastructure challenges, these stories shape our business environment. Get the full stories this week from Stet 👇 Subscribe to Stet's weekly newsletter and get the best Palm Beach County updates delivered straight to your inbox. #PalmBeachCounty #LocalGovernance #FloridaBusiness #CommunityDevelopment"
Love, love, love this interview with Patrick Condon - so much I went and bought the new book Broken City. This is the first discussion I have heard where the housing crisis is linked to the broader issue of global land speculation and acquisition, rather than only a local issue. #urbanplanning #housing #sustainability
Purpose-driven leader who empowers teams to improve the conditions in cities and regions without leaving anyone behind.
A policy debate worth having https://lnkd.in/gB_WX8eh
Housing research alert! 🚨 🔔 Looking for a evidence based insights on housing that actually stack up? Check out the latest insights paper from Kade and co that bring together the leading research and insights on why upzoning and housing affordability are positively linked. Short answer: zoning leads to more homes and improves housing affordability. #economics #housing #zoning #research #urbanenvironments #affordability #auckland #land
What can we learn from the existing literature to inform future zoning policy? Lots. A write-up James Jones and I did for the Chief Economist Unit highlighting that the volume of robust research into the positive effects of urban upzoning can no longer be ignored.
What a legislative session! Read Kinsey Hasstedt's summary blog post to learn more about how Enterprise Community Partners and our partners moved the needle in Colorado.
🚫🚫🚫 Sure, here is the localized social media post copy for crossposting on LinkedIn: "Check out this insightful article on how red tape has suffocated our city's potential. The Telegraph's in-depth analysis sheds light on the bureaucratic hurdles that hinder progress. A must-read for anyone passionate about urban development. #RedTape #UrbanDevelopment #TheTelegraph" I hope you find this helpful! Let me know if you need any further assistance. https://ift.tt/xfWGU7F