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In an effort to help folks better understand the landscape of housing, housing production, and all the many complicated elements that come to bear, we’ve begun writing and gathering some resources here.
Please check back regularly, or subscribe to our newsletter!
Explainers on Housing in Somerville
- What Exactly Do We Mean by “Affordable Housing?”
- What is Zoning and Why Does It Matter?
- What is Inclusionary Zoning
- Understanding the Rent Control Debate
- Glossary of Somerville Zoning and Planning Jargon
Videos and References from Elsewhere
- Our friends at Abundant Housing Massachusetts (AHMA) have a wonderful set of videos about about housing, including Housing Policy is Climate Policy, about the intersection of climate and housing policy.
- Also from AHMA, “Meet Michael and Iris,” introducing the concept of abundant housing and why it matters to people you might know.
- From the Sightline Institute: Cruel Musical Chairs (or Why is the Rent So High?) uses a twisted game of musical chairs to illustrate why housing abundance matters.
- From the Urban Institute: Zoning Matters: How Land Use Policies Shape Our Lives.
- UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation has an awesome simulation called Demystifying Development Math that helps illustrate how housing construction is financed (or not).
Other Research
- Members of this and other pro-housing groups have assembled a YIMBY References library in Zotero, the academic citation system. Feel free to send suggestions to steering@somervilleyimby.org if you spot anything we’ve missed!