Holding Biden Accountable Joe Biden’s election puts Democrats and particularly progressive activists to the test: we can repeat the mistakes of 2009-10 under President Obama or avoid them. Here’s how it comes down. Obama took office with Democrats strongly controlling
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Mobilizing for 2021 The November elections opened up new opportunities for national, state and local housing advocates. Here’s how activists can seize them. Federal Funding The big money is federal. Advocates must go after it. If Democrats already controlled the
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A Sad Comment on America Last night did not go as anyone expected. While by midnight Trump had not won a single Clinton state, and Biden still had a strong path to victory, few imagined the race could be this
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2020 Will Not Repeat 2016 I had a great record predicting the winners of local, state and national races— until November 2016. I picked Hillary Clinton to win. I was wrong about Trump’s chances all year, even writing in May
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(Editor’s Note: Last week, Vancouver announced a dramatic plan to buy up to 105 of the city’s SRO hotels. I was flown up to the city in 2016 to talk to city officials about upgrading their SRO stock. I saw
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The City of Minneapolis invites comment on the Built Form Rezoning Study through October 19th.  Minneapolis spent 2018 discussing the merits of the Minneapolis 2040 plan. As a city, there is wide consensus that we face three critical and interconnected
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Local Elections Will Shape Urban America The overwhelming focus on the presidential race means local elections are getting less attention. This does not diminish their importance. As I say in the title of my most recent book, local politics determine
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Cambridge Boosts Affordability, Ends Exclusionary Zoning Cambridge, Massachusetts made history last night. The City Council enacted a 100% citywide affordable housing overlay (AHO) that should become a new national model for high-rent cities. The AHO opens up four story affordable
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