BOOK CLUB, POLICY TALK, LOCAL CELEBRATIONS & BIKE MONTH!
It’s May – the Legislature is in session, and housing advocates are busy with opportunities to learn, support, and connect!
Happy May CITYBUILDERs!
It was a busy April, and and there’s even more in store for May! You can find all the CITYBUILDER events, plus events by local friends and allies at the CITYBUILDER event page!
In April we were excited to join with allies from throughout the housing advocacy spectrum (from direct service providers to elected officials) at the North Carolina Housing Coalition Legislative Lobbying day to speak with our representatives about the importance of funding and supporting housing in North Carolina. It was inspiring to connect with so many people doing this important work.
This past month we had the pleasure of connecting with pro-housing advocates from across the Triangle. We saw our friends from the Sierra Club at RaleighForward and WakeUp Wake County’s earth day event, where one tree-expert panelist stated that density is the most important thing we can work towards if we want to preserve and promote tree canopy.
Last month we held our first Virtual Walkthrough Policy Talk with Steve Wilk at Loft3 in Raleigh. We were excited to showcase their innovative design and building methods used in this housing built with inclusionary zoning. (You can read more about the project here.)
And this past Friday, we were thrilled to host a lunch celebration for the final review of NC State Architecture School’s Single Stair Studio course. Local advocates and elected officials joined us in celebrating the work of these students, whose designs explored what we could build if we were to legalize this innovative yet traditional building form. (Learn more about the benefits of Single Stair reform and how you can support at Single Stair NC).
For May, we are excited to share several events by our friends and allies. The Durham Community Land Trustees are celebrating 50 years this Spring with their Bringing Durham Home Gala event on Saturday May 16th. The DCLT continues to be a vital force in creating permanently affordable homes through the land trust model.
Over in Orange County, the Chapel Hill Community Land Trust also serves to provide affordable homes in a land trust model. You can register for a bus tour of their neighborhoods happening this Thursday May 7th. More information and registration at their website.
Later in May, the Home Builders Associations of Durham, Orange & Chatham Counties are continuing their 2026 Housing Summit Series with an event exploring how development math actually works; Making the Math… Math. This working session is built around a simple premise: public and private sectors are partners in housing, and we get better results when we understand each other. CITYBUILDERs get 50% off their registration with the code CITYBUILDER.
And of course, CITYBUILDER is continuing to host our Policy Talk and Book Club series. At our May CITYBUILDER Book Club, we’ll be discussing A Paradise of Small Houses by urban planner Max Podemski. This book traces the history of the dense, affordable, urban housing that was built in our great cities in the past, and how we could build this way again today to tackle the housing crisis.
For the CITYBUILDER Carolina Policy Talk this month we are thrilled to be joined by Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, Director of Housing Policy at the North Carolina Housing Coalition, Theo Nollert, Chapel Hill Town Councilor and Director of Policy at Carolina Forward, and David Crawford, Executive Vice President of AIA North Carolina to discuss the Legislative Agenda for their orgs during this short session.
If that’s not enough, May is also National Bike Month! The City of Raleigh and Oaks and Spokes each have a robust lineup of events, Durham is hosting their annual Bike Stampede, Cary is hosting Bike Bingo all month, Carrboro is hosting events all month including a Cinco de Mayo ride, Chapel Hill also has a lineup, including a Bike-Themed movie in the park (it’s E.T.) As we published recently, bike advocates must advocate for land use reforms if we want to make a meaningful impact on safety. Read more in the latest VERBATIM piece.
If you haven’t yet come to an event, May is a great time to show up for housing! It’s been great getting to know many of the repeat-attendees. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again, or for the first time, real soon.
Thanks everyone!
Best,
Charlotte Chapman
Executive Administrator, CITYBUILDER
CALLS TO ACTION
Watch This Space! Rezonings & Legislation will Need Your Support
There are several housing projects throughout the Triangle that may (or may not) end up before Planning Commissions and City Councils in May, plus pro-housing legislation that could end up before the legislature. Continue to subscribe to CITYBUILDER updates, including our weekly CITYBUILDER Brief (paid subscribers only) for updates about when to show up and where.
Be an Early Bird for YIMBYtown 2026!
ICYMI - YIMBYtown 2026 is coming to Raleigh in November! Registration opens this week. Be the first to find out early-bird registration launch, speaker topics, and hotel blocks by signing up for updates at yimby.town
MAY EVENTS WITH CITYBUILDER
CITYBUILDER BOOK CLUB:
A Paradise Of Small Houses: The Evolution, Devolution, and Potential Rebirth of Urban Housing by Max Podemski
with Payton Chung
Thursday May 28th • 12:00pm - 1:00pm
PRESS Coffee, Crêpes & Cocktails • 400 Hillsborough St, Suite 108, Raleigh
Join us for our monthly book club. This month, we’ll be discussing Max Podemski’s A Paradise Of Small Houses: The Evolution, Devolution, and Potential Rebirth of Urban Housing with discussion led by Payton Chung, LEED AP ND.
This book explores the history of diverse, small-scale urban housing types, arguing that reviving typologies such as bungalows and row houses is a practical, human-scale solution to the modern housing affordability crisis.
Our discussion lead, Payton Chung, is a developer and author who writes about the interrelated crafts that build cities: architecture, development, finance, landscape, planning, and transportation. He has written for the Urban Land Institute, Greater Greater Washington, the American Institute of Architects, Streetsblog, and the Congress for the New Urbanism. He is a Cary native and currently working on transit-oriented residential developments in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Payton is also a CITYBUILDER board member and regular contributor.
Reading the book is never required, but always encouraged. Come discuss the themes and enjoy lunch from Press. CITYBUILDER will buy you the (non-alcoholic) beverage of your choice.
CITYBUILDER POLICY TALK: Into to NC’s 2026 Legislative Session with Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, Theo Nollert, and David Crawford
Thursday May 21st • 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Please RSVP for this virtual talk
Join us for our May CITYBUILDER Carolina Policy Talk where we will be joined by three change makers to discuss what’s coming up for housing in the short legislative session this year.
We’ll be joined by Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, Director of Housing Policy at the North Carolina Housing Coalition, Theo Nollert, Chapel Hill Town Councilor and Director of Policy at Carolina Forward, and David Crawford, Executive Vice President of AIA North Carolina to discuss the Legislative Agenda for their orgs during this short session.
Register to join this virtual call where you can learn more.
ALLIED EVENTS
CHAPEL HILL COMMUNITY HOME TRUST: Neighborhood Tour
Thursday May 7th • 3:00 PM
Registration at the Link
Join the Chapel Hill Community Home Trust on a Neighborhood Tour more about the communities where CHT residents live and see some examples of our homes for yourself. The neighborhood tour lasts approximately two hours and starts with coffee and conversation at our office. Space on the bus is limited and registration is required.
DURHAM COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTEES: Bringing Durham Home 50th Anniversary Gala
Saturday May 16th • Registration at the Link
The Durham Community Land Trustees are celebrating 50 years this Spring with their Bringing Durham Home Gala event on Saturday May 16th. The DCLT continues to be a vital force in creating permanently affordable homes through the land trust model.
HBA OF DURHAM AND ORANGE COUNTIES: Housing & Development Summit: Making the Math...Math
Wednesday May 27th • 8:00AM - 12:00PM
Register Now and get 50% off with code CITYBUILDER
The Home Builders Associations of Durham, Orange & Chatham Counties are continuing their 2026 Housing Summit Series with an event exploring how development math actually works; Making the Math… Math.
This working session is built around a simple premise: public and private sectors are partners in housing, and we get better results when we understand each other.
CITYBUILDERs get 50% off their registration with the code CITYBUILDER. More information and registration.