The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley has released an important new resource for understanding the state’s housing crisis. The Terner Center California Land Use Data Set includes insights about the land use policies and practices in communities across the state (252 cities as well as 19 unincorporated county areas), touching on issues from how land is zoned for different uses to the process a project goes through to get approved to policies aimed at producing affordable housing. In partnership with the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ Center for California Real Estate (CCRE), the Terner Center is additionally launching the California Land Use Working Paper Series based upon this new data set.
The Terner Center California Land Use Data Set, made possible with support from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, represents the most up-to-date jurisdiction-level resource on policies that affect the production, location, and preservation of housing in the state. It will help citizens and policy makers alike understand how cities in California are approaching the use of their land, and with what effect on the quantity, accessibility, and affordability of their housing.
“This is a tremendous new resource that will advance our understanding of what is working – or not working” said Carol Galante, I. Donald Terner Distinguished Professor in Affordable Housing and Urban Policy and Faculty Director of the Terner Center. “We need this kind of rigorous data to confront our complex housing challenges and make informed changes to land use at the city level that will make a difference.”
“Our state continues to face unprecedented housing challenges,” says Jared Martin, president, CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. “This new partnership between the Terner Center and CCRE is yet another way to provide much-needed information and insights to begin to solve our urgent housing challenges. The Land Use Working Paper Series will bring the brightest minds to bear on some of the state’s biggest housing challenges, offering deeper insight and solutions that we can start to put into practice today.”
The series, which launches in early 2019, will include papers from leading researchers across the country, and designed to expand upon and leverage the Land Use Data Set to delve into a range of important policy questions. Together, the papers in the series will help connect the dots from data to practice, informing a more nuanced understanding of housing issues in the state and beyond.
About the Center for California Real Estate (CCRE):
The Center for California Real Estate is an institute of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® dedicated to intellectual engagement in the field of real estate. Its mission is to advance industry knowledge and innovation with an emphasis on convening key experts and influence-makers. For more information, visit: centerforcaliforniarealestate.org.