City Leaders Share Lessons on Breaking Through the Housing Debate
Elected officials often face competing interests when trying to create local housing solutions. Building consensus among various constituents was the focus of a recent National League of Cities (NLC) and NAHB webinar, Leading Through Differences: Engaging NIMBY Voices in Your City.
During the webinar, Wichita, Kan., Mayor Lily Wu and Providence, R.I., Mayor Brett Smiley shared their insights on practical strategies for navigating different viewpoints to achieve pro-housing policy solutions.
In Wichita, the local economy is fueled by industries such as aerospace and higher education, which are attracting new residents and in turn increasing the demand for housing. Mayor Wu said city leaders are focused on implementing housing policies to support a variety of housing types to address the influx of residents. For example, the city is enticing developers to construct housing units in downtown areas where infrastructure is already in place.
Mayor Smiley faces similar supply challenges in Rhode Island. Providence has a significant population made up of hybrid and fully remote workers who are driving demand for rental and homeownership opportunities. To address the housing affordability challenge, city leaders have implemented zoning reforms, reduced parking minimums and supported tax-related changes to encourage housing production. Mayor Smiley has also stopped counterproductive housing policies, like rent control, from being enacted.
To foster a pro-housing policy environment, Mayor Wu says city officials regularly engage residents and encourage candid conversations about their housing challenges. The dialogue helps elected officials identify which housing needs are the greatest. Mayor Wu shared that community conversations led to exploration of modular homes to grow the availability of attainable housing.
In Providence, younger residents are among the most vocal advocates for housing development and are fueling the “Yes In My Backyard” (YIMBY) movement. A common reason cited for YIMBY involvement is a desire to live in the communities where younger generations grew up and now work.
The mayors agreed that collaboration between elected officials and housing stakeholders is critical to addressing the housing affordability crisis. Mayor Wu shared that members of the Wichita Area Home Builders have developed relationships with lawmakers to help educate them on the cost and complexity of residential construction.
Overall, the mayors expressed optimism as community members are becoming more willing to embrace housing solutions. Mayor Smiley noted that the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act offers hope for accelerating meaningful housing reform at the local and national levels.