White House forms coalition with local governments to pursue building performance policies | Smart Cities Dive

This piece by Smart Cities Dive summarizes last week's announcement during the U.S. Conference of Mayors that the Biden administration is creating a Building Performance Standards Coalition, partnering with over 30 local governments to create and move forward legislation - by Earth Day of 2024 - that would set required levels of performance for new and existing buildings. In the statement, the White House specifically lists some of the goals as including improvement of indoor air quality, protection from extreme heat, higher occupancy rates, and energy efficiency. While Texas is not currently represented in the list of participating agencies, that could change in the future. – AJ

Ending Single-Family Zoning Is Not a Stand-Alone Solution

A new study completed by the non-profit Desegregate Connecticut has revealed that cities need to do more than just eliminating single family zoning to address affordable housing gaps. The study utilized detailed data mapping to illuminate how requirements for public hearings, parking, building height and more all have an impact on the ability to renovate and build more missing middle housing. The study's leader said "If people understand what zoning is and what it does, they are more likely to see good reasons to modernize it for the 21st century. It’s important for those who want to make a difference to ground their efforts in data and research." I completely agree.  One area we've become known for is how we use a data and GIS-based land use and infrastructure fiscal analysis process to map revenues and service costs down to individual parcels, and then use this information to transform policies and investments. In a time where opinions can be quite divided, data-based storytelling is key to aligning perspectives and cultivating consent. – Kevin

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