One Expert’s Solutions for a Frenzied U.S. Housing System

In her new book Fixer Upper: How to Repair America’s Broken Housing Systems, housing expert Jenny Shuetz explores the ramifications of harmful zoning laws, an affordability crisis, and a 6.8 million home shortage as well as possible solutions to get back on track. According to Shuetz, too many homes are being built in areas at risk of major climate disasters, causing builders to start from scratch after devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, or wildfires.

While inventory is being added to locations prone to extreme weather emergencies, supply remains low in urban areas reporting high demand, Fast Company reports. According to Shuetz, the solution depends on zoning reform to get multi-family projects approved for affordable housing development.

Schuetz says there are small signs of change that may chip away at this kind of not-in-my-backyard obstructionism. Zoning reform in cities like Minneapolis has made it much easier to get multi-family housing projects approved, and other places are making similar moves. “There’s definitely more political momentum for zoning reform than there’s ever been,” Schuetz says.

States can help this along, she argues, using their power over local governments to set standards for how they manage growth and development. A high profile effort to make such a change narrowly failed in California, but Schuetz says places like Idaho and Virginia may be close to success.

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