How housing victories in San Diego, Austin, and Atlanta could spread nationwide

The report examines city-level efforts to turn housing reform into delivery. San Diego cut average approvals for fully affordable projects to nine days after setting a 30-day goal and permitted 9,691 homes in 2023, an 82 percent increase. Austin legalized as many as three homes on many lots, cut minimum lot size from 5,750 to 1,800 square feet, and has since seen rents fall.

Atlanta is using an interagency strike force toward a goal of 20,000 affordable homes by 2030. Bloomberg Philanthropies will extend technical and staffing support to as many as 30 cities through two-year grants of $450,000 to $750,000.