CITYBUILDER BRIEF: Housing, Climate and Parking, too
Housing progress is climate progress. Raleigh votes split. Morrisville weighs affordability. HB369 moves to the Senate.
On the National Radar:
Housing Progress is Climate Progress
A new report from the Sightline Institute has laid out the path for climate advocacy under a federal government hostile to environmental protections: fight for housing reform.
The stats: Sightline cites numerous statistics to show that legalizing missing middle housing and apartments reduces greenhouse gas emissions. One example: According to an analysis by RMI, if all states legalized more compact, walkable housing forms, the reduction in carbon emissions achieved by 2033 would be equal to if half of all states adopted a 100% electric vehicle sale mandate (aka, banned new gas-powered cars from being sold).
What that means: Direct support for climate action is unlikely to come from the federal level for several years. In the mean time, climate activists should advocate for more apartments, more walkability, and denser urban areas.
Closer to Home:
Raleigh City Council Wavers on Housing
What happened: In this election year, rezonings have gotten interesting. Case in point: three recent rezonings along Trailwood Dr. show how varied housing votes are right now in Raleigh. Similar proposals, same corridor, same council, but different outcomes and different voting coalitions each time.
