Archinect - News

University at Buffalo students are constructing tiny homes to fight homelessness

2022-06-20T13:55:00-04:00

Students from the University at Buffalo have embarked on the construction of three tiny homes to help combat homelessness. Led by Brad Wales, a clinical assistant professor at the university’s Department of Architecture, the initiative forms part of a design-build program within the school called the Small Built Works Project.

Tilt House render. Image courtesy of University at Buffalo

The process began with students designing prototypes for tiny houses, which were developed into permit-ready construction documents for three homes in Syracuse, New York. Construction on the homes began in June 2022, and are expected to be completed by June 2023.

Passive Solar House render. Image courtesy of University at Buffalo

For Wales, the project is the latest of dozens of projects undertaken in the Small Built Works Project’s 21 year history, which has secured nine building permits to develop and install public benefit projects across Buffalo. The program has been focused on affordable housing sinc...

Drury architecture students build homeless shelter that plays on light and color

2022-05-17T11:54:00-04:00

Architecture students at Drury University have unveiled a new shelter designed and built to aid the homeless community in Springfield, Missouri. Situated at the Revive 66 Campground, a local site offering nightly stays for unhoused people, the project is designed to offer a more spacious alternative to the teardrop trailers predominantly used in the grounds.

Photograph by Traci Sooter FAIA

Outside, the shelter’s exposed timber structure and cladding are brought to life by a multicolored window forming a second skin around the patio. Inside, the cabin is designed with a full-sized bed to accommodate couples and enable ADA-compliant accessibility for wheelchair users. Heating is provided through an electric radiant floor system, supported by highly-insulated walls, floors, and ceilings.

Photograph by Traci Sooter FAIA

“The structure honors the role of community in helping to provide dignity for those that so often encounter the indignities of poverty and homelessness,” said Traci Soote...

NYC Mayor Eric Adams pushes plan to convert underutilized hotels to shelter unhoused New Yorkers

2022-05-02T15:31:00-04:00

In an effort to confront the city’s ongoing homeless crisis, Mayor Eric Adams stood alongside elected officials and union members to support a plan that would clear the streets and subways, and put a near-record number of unhoused New Yorkers into underutilized hotels.

Adams is supporting state bill S.4937/A.6262, which would make it easier for the city to convert underutilized hotels into affordable housing. According to city officials, this work would come at two-thirds the cost of new construction and could create 25,000 beds.

Mayor Adams has been active in his handling of New York’s homelessness issue recently, which was evident in his controversial push to clear hundreds of homeless encampments. This was followed by his administration’s proposed $171 million investment in homeless services that would help fund specialized shelters.

Previously on Archinect: New York City to prevent homeless people from sheltering in subway stations and trains

As reported by Gothamist, the money to carry out the bill is available through $100 million from the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act, which was passed last year to pay for hotel-to-apartment conversions. An additional $5 billion that was set aside in Adams’ budget for capital funding to build more ...

San Francisco is adapting the tiny home approach to city's largest encampment

2021-09-22T17:40:00-04:00

The cost of up to $1.7 million for building and installing the cabins, along with the dining and other facilities, will be paid for by the nonprofits DignityMoves and Tipping Point Community. The cabins will remain for 18 months, when the lease the city signed for using the parking lots as outdoor shelter spaces runs out.

The 64-square-foot cabins are produced by LifeMoves, a Silicon Valley-based company responsible for the installation of a similar development in nearby Mountain View in 2016. Neighboring Oakland has operated its own cabin site since 2017, albeit with mixed results for residents who have found themselves back on the streets long-term.

San Francisco’s move comes a bit late, however, as COVID-related fears have deemed the crowded shelter system a non-starter for many. Other cities like Los Angeles have invested in the tiny homes movement, which is being seen as a popular solution to a crisis at a time when encampments sanctioned by municipal governments are popping up increasingly throughout the state. More than 40% of America’s homeless population lives in California alone.

The new approach certainly constitutes a change from San Francisco’s previous initiati...

UC Berkeley revises proposed People's Park housing scheme as Chancellor promises to accommodate its unhoused population

2021-09-01T16:48:00-04:00

An amended plan for new student housing at the University of California, Berkeley has been announced amidst protests surrounding the development that have touched on issues related to the state’s ongoing housing crisis.

Local outlets are now reporting that the planned dormitory in People’s Park will be reduced to 12 stories and moved to direct more sunlight onto the city’s landmark First Church of Christ, Scientist, which was designed by prominent Arts and Crafts Movement architect Bernard Maybeck in 1910.

The housing development as viewed from Dwight Way. Image courtesy LMS Architects / Hood Design Studio via UC Berkeley.

University Chancellor Carol Christ said the revised double-winged scheme will still be able to accommodate approximately 1,100 residents (down from the original 1,200) and that the school will wait until it can comply with demands of protesters before it breaks ground on the new housing complex.

Students gathered last week at the park’s iconic Sather Gate to prot...

A homeless encampment is growing on Apple's future North San Jose campus

2021-08-10T17:56:00-04:00

A large homeless encampment is growing on the site Apple earmarked for its North San Jose campus, two years after Apple made waves with a $2.5 billion pledge to combat the Bay Area’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis.

Campers appear to have migrated from the nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport, which the city began clearing in late June at the urging of the FAA. Apple bought parts of the 55-acre site in North San Jose in early 2018 and currently holds no publicized plans for its development.

Nearly half of the U.S.'s homeless population lives in California alone. The state has been tragically unable to address the issue impactfully for the past two decades as rising home prices and a paucity of affordable housing are steadfastly combining to make matters worse. San Jose Spotlight has more on development issues at the site here.

New Philadelphia park will be designed for, and together with, homeless people

2021-03-22T16:28:00-04:00

Plans are underway to start building in 2022 a pocket park where people experiencing homelessness will not only be welcome but will also be asked to design and build aspects of the space. It’s the only project of its kind in Philadelphia, say design professionals involved in the project.

Supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia's largest homeless shelter, the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, aims to plan and build the small pocket park near its facility on North Pearl Street.

LA City Council continues to convert hotels into interim housing thanks to Project Homekey

2020-12-15T14:51:00-05:00

In alignment with Project Homekey, LA County's efforts to provide temporary housing pushes forward as the city uses over $68M in grant funding plus $37M in local matching funds to purchase hotels located in the Los Angeles area. In October, the city had acquired ten hotels located in the West Adams, Exposition Park, North Hills, Reseda, Westlake, El Sereno, Harbor Gateway, and Chatsworth areas.

Initial planning steps were reported in September 2020 by Urbanize LA. The group shared the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted towards the "acquisition and renovation" of properties through Project Homekey. "Under the rules of the Project Homekey program - which provides $600 million in grant funding for hotel purchases statewide - individual jurisdictions are required to provide local matching funds for all acquisition costs over $100,000 per unit."

Los Angeles. Photo © Anthony Brown from Pexels

The county is required to complete the acquisition process of each selected hotel by D...

Los Angeles bets on tiny homes to battle enormous homelessness crisis

2020-12-14T14:15:00-05:00

At the city’s first tiny home village, scheduled to open in January, each of the 39 closet-sized homes is costing $130,000, about 10 times what some other cities are spending. Five more villages are planned to open later.

LA Times Senior Writer Doug Smith reports on the progress, and higher-than-usual costs, of erecting tiny home villages in a City of Los Angeles effort to take on its ballooning homelessness crisis.

"Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the program in March," writes Smith, "signaling that the concept of sheltering people in tiny homes, long neglected in Los Angeles, had emerged as a leading strategy in the city’s response to a federal lawsuit alleging it has done too little to get homeless people off the streets."

"Housing First" policies help Finland rein in homelessness

2020-01-13T19:56:00-05:00

In Finland, the number of homeless people has decreased significantly. The reason: The country applies the "Housing First" concept. Those affected receive - without prerequisite - a small apartment and advice. 4 out of 5 affected people create the path to a stable life. And: It is cheaper for the state than homelessness.

While local and federal governing bodies across the country have tried to implement plans to "end homelessness" with little in terms of success, something seems to be working in Finland.

According to a report by Kathrin Glöse of Kontrast, "in 2008 the Finnish government adopted a new policy for the homeless: it implemented the 'Housing First' concept. Since then, the number of people affected has dropped sharply."

For those unfamiliar with the "Housing First" concept, Glöse summarizes the policy: "[Housing First] reverses the traditional homeless help. It is often the case that those affected are expected to find a job and free themselves from mental problems or addictions. Only then will there be help in finding an apartment."

She continues, "'Housing first', on the other hand, is the other way around: homeless people get an apartment - without a requirement. Social workers help with applications for social benefits and are the contact for problems. In this new, secure starting po...

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio pledges to end 'street homelessness as we know it' within five years

2019-12-18T16:36:00-05:00

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an initiative Tuesday that promised to “end long-term street homelessness as we know it” by bringing thousands of people off of the streets and into permanent or transitional housing within five years. [...] The city plans to spend an estimated $120 million next year on the plan, which will create 1,000 new permanent apartments.

The mayor's office has outlined de Blasio's latest plan to house the estimated 3,600 homeless people currently living on New York City streets — a fraction of the city's total homeless population of 80,000 — in the action plan The Journey Home.

We’re announcing a plan to END long-term street homelessness in our city. Join us at @Judsonchurchnyc. https://t.co/MLsxyJuHfh
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) December 17, 2019

The Wall Street Journal reports that under the new directive, the City also plans to "generate 1,000 additional 'Safe Haven' shelter beds, which are targeted specifically to the street homeless, in addition to expanding outreach to homeless people both aboveground and in the subways."

Row over Seattle's "tiny homes village" escalates as city moves to shut down facility

2019-11-11T19:13:00-05:00

Since April, the gates have been locked against the city and its contractors, and only a few people let in. The case manager’s office has sat empty since Aug. 5, and no one has left the village for permanent housing since at least July. Now, after an almost seven-month stalemate, the city announced Tuesday it won’t fund the village after December, saying it’s out of compliance with its contract.

In a city-issued press release, Seattle spokesperson Will Lemke writes, “The village will no longer operate after Dec. 31, 2019, and the property will be returned to Seattle City Light.”

City officials, according to The Seattle Times, will help offer “new shelter or housing resources” for anyone displaced by the closure.

Amazon's new homeless shelter inside their Seattle Headquarters is nearly complete

2019-11-08T15:20:00-05:00

With Seattle's housing costs increasingly out of reach, it's no surprise that Amazon, one of Seattle's largest employers, is dabbling in housing issues itself. According to a recent article by Aria Bendix of Business Insider, Amazon is following through in a surprising way: By building a homeless shelter within its Seattle headquarters.

Bendix reports, "Two years ago, Marty Hartman, the executive director of Mary's Place homeless shelter in Seattle, received a package from Amazon: The company presented her with a golden key symbolizing access to eight floors of a building in its Seattle headquarters." Under the arrangement, Hartman was offered "permanent space in one of Amazon's corporate offices. Now, that space is almost finished."

Image © Amazon

Anticipated to open in 2020, the shelter will be able to house and serve 275 people per night. Although those numbers are merely a fraction of Seattle's overall homeless population (roughly around 12,500 in King County, according to Benix)...

Homeless shelter on Billionaires' Row approved by court; opposing neighbors to appeal the ruling

2019-06-13T14:41:00-04:00

The state Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department issued a ruling on Tuesday denying the West 58th Street Coalition’s motion to extend a temporary injunction to stop the opening of the homeless shelter. The city plans to open the shelter at the former Park Savoy Hotel at 158 W. 58th St. It is located on a block near an area dubbed Billionaires’ Row, which is home to a group of luxury residential skyscrapers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the West 58th Street Coalition, the neighborhood group opposing the planned homeless shelter, would "appeal Tuesday’s ruling to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, which would hear the case in the fall."

The shelter population in New York City is currently estimated at about 58,000 people.

This story previously on Archinect: Homeless shelter on Billionaires' Row faces new (temporary) opposition

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti taking 'full responsibility' for city's homelessness response

2019-06-13T14:15:00-04:00

When Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took office in 2013, the city was home to 22,993 homeless residents [...]. The number of unhoused people living within city limits now stands at 36,300—and 75 percent are unsheltered. With homelessness up 58 percent on his watch, the mayor struck an apologetic tone in a letter sent to residents Tuesday.

"As your mayor, I take full responsibility for our response to this crisis," wrote Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in an open letter this week. "And like everyone who has seen families in tents or spoken to a homeless veteran in need, I am both heartbroken and impatient. While we have housed more homeless Angelenos than ever before in our city’s history, it’s not enough. We must respond like it’s an earthquake — and do more, faster."

Garcetti's response follows the release of sobering statistics on extreme poverty in Los Angeles County; counting nearly 59,000 homeless people countywide and 36,300 within the City of LA.

Homelessness in Finland is falling. What is it doing right?

2019-06-05T15:34:00-04:00

Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. Its secret? Giving people homes as soon as they need them – unconditionally [...] “We had to get rid of the night shelters and short-term hostels we still had back then. They had a very long history in Finland, and everyone could see they were not getting people out of homelessness. We decided to reverse the assumptions.”

Meanwhile in the U.S., major cities that have seen an influx of new wealth, such as San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles, continue to struggle in their fights against extreme poverty and homelessness despite allocating increased funding.

72U’s Dear Neighbor campaign promotes permanent supportive housing to portray a different narrative to homelessness in LA

2019-05-30T10:41:00-04:00

The housing crisis in large cities, especially in Los Angeles, has been an ongoing issue. Currently, Los Angeles County is home to the second largest population of settled homelessness in the U.S. Local government and organizations aim to create solutions in order to combat the issue with a little over 53,000 people who are homeless and in need of housing. In order to address the homeless housing crisis, the Los Angeles based creative residency 72U promotes the importance of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) through a different kind of narrative. Through art, design, and empathy, the project initiative Dear Neighbor aims to use murals, written letters, recorded interviews, and eye-catching infographics to bridge communities together through awareness.

Image courtesy of Dear Neighbor LA

According to the Dear Neighbor team, the project is based on "the belief that housing is a human right. We understand that despite their numbers, our homeless neighbo...

Homeless shelter on Billionaires' Row faces new (temporary) opposition

2019-05-13T18:26:00-04:00

A judge temporarily stopped the city’s plan to open a homeless shelter in a former hotel near Billionaires’ Row, which a group of residents have been trying to derail citing fire safety concerns in the property. [...] The stay is the latest in a nearly two year battle between locals and the city over the shelter at the Park Savoy Hotel—which backs against the One57 luxury tower that has $100 million condos [...].

"Neighbors have fiercely opposed the shelter, citing possible increased criminal activity and fire safety concerns," reports Curbed NY. "But, as [Judge Alexander] Tisch noted in his April ruling, the FDNY approved the building’s Fire Protection Plan. Further, a source familiar with the plan said that there will be a 10 p.m. curfew and 24/7 security."

Yves Béhar teams with tech-infused charity for world's first 3D printed community

2019-05-09T15:01:00-04:00

Yves Béhar, the founder of the San Francisco-based design firm fuseproject, has teamed up with building startup ICON and housing charity New Story to bring about what they describe as "the world's first 3D-printed community."

Last year, ICON and New Story went to SXSW 2018 and announced the successful printing of their first permitted 3D-printed home. Now, the companies are employing that technology to build much-needed housing in Latin America. Béhar, who recently launched a line of prefabricated ADUs, has designed the series of small homes and is working with the two to begin printing this summer.

Photo by Terilyn Steverson.

Future residents of the 3D printed neighborhood have been involved in the planning process from the get-go, providing feedback on land selection, community layout, and home designs. Through this engagement, the design has come to reflect a desire for different programs, climate factors, and growth. As examples, the designer created an outdoor kitchen in respon...

Meanwhile in San Francisco: deploying security robots to keep away homeless people

2017-12-13T13:27:00-05:00

In San Francisco, autonomous crime-fighting robots that are used to patrol parking lots, sports arenas, and tech company campuses are now being deployed to keep away homeless people. [...] Last week, the City of San Francisco ordered the SF SPCA to keep its robot off the streets or be fined up to $1,000 per day for operating on sidewalks without a permit [...]

When you're in Silicon Valley, everything looks like a tech solution. The same logic has been increasingly applied to San Francisco's overwhelming homelessness crisis where a growing legion of security robots — armed with lasers, sensors, cameras, and GPS — have been autonomously patrolling parking lots, campuses, and now also public sidewalks to deter houseless neighbors from setting up tent camps.

One local non-profit recently drew the ire of the City of San Francisco though for operating their security robot "in the public right-of-way without a proper approval."

Attempts of incapacitating and attacking the SPCA robot have been reported, including feces of unknown origin smeared on it.

How the homeless create homes

2017-08-23T03:04:00-04:00

It’s no paradise, as the rats, garbage, arson and violent backstories make clear. Yet against all odds, the men and women we meet in the film have managed to domesticate their underground wilderness. Hardworking and innovative, they cobble together the necessities and even a few small luxuries: a dartboard, toaster oven, dogs, cats and a gerbil named Peaches.

"The number of people facing housing insecurity, already on the rise, began to climb more steeply as a result of the Great Recession. This upward trend will likely be exacerbated if President Trump’s proposed cuts to food stamps, Medicaid and housing subsidies are enacted, which will force even more to make a choice between food on the table and a roof above their heads.

To those who are safely housed, a homeless person is apt to inspire feelings ranging from fear and disgust to pity and guilt.

Such negative responses are rooted in longstanding myths about “hobos,” “Bowery bums,” and “bag ladies.” Some may believe that homeless people are free spirits who simply prefer to live outside. More likely, they’re viewed as misfits – dysfunctional, threatening, potentially criminal.

Above all, they are not like us."

A test of compassion: L.A. county to offer residents up to $75,000 to build a “granny flat” for a homeless family in their backyard

2017-08-22T21:04:00-04:00

The county’s board of supervisors gave the green light to The Granny Flats Motion project on Tuesday, which would give homeowners up to $75,000 to build a backyard home—if they agree to rent it to a homeless family or individual. On top of that, the county will also streamline the permitting process, an arguably attractive incentive considering that most of these “accessory dwelling units” in U.S. cities are illegal.

Los Angeles is undertaking a new effort to curb its ballooning homeless population—paying homeowners to build a 'granny flat' for a homeless family to inhabit in their backyard. According to CityLab, "The pilot, for which the county has earmarked $550,000, will grant two or three of such units in areas where zoning is managed by the county as officials assess whether to scale up in the future. It’s part of L.A. county’s broader initiative to address homelessness, in which 51 strategies—from opening up vacant lots for housing to subsidize housing—have been approved between 2016 and 2017."

During the next two months the county will flesh out the details with the hope of implementing the program within the next year and a half. Figuring out the rent and utilities costs is largely left up to the homeowners and their future tenants.

A similar program has already been tested in Oregon’s Multnomah County in May, offering to build as many as 300 tiny homes—roughly 200 square feet. When the...

USC's Homeless Studio debuts a new video

2017-07-17T17:08:00-04:00

Previously covered by Archinect, MADWORKSHOP Homeless Studio is a USC course exploring the architect’s role in helping to solve Los Angeles' rapidly accelerating homelessness crisis.

"Getting someone off the street and into permanent housing doesn't happen right away. We are looking at lead time of 2-5 years per project. How do we help people today?"- asks Sofia Borges in the freshly released video.

L.A.'s Skid Row Housing Trust C.E.O. Mike Alvidrez will step down in 2018

2017-07-06T17:29:00-04:00

After nearly three decades of involvement with the L.A. Skid Row Housing Trust (and working relationships with architects including Michael Maltzan and Brooks + Scarpa), C.E.O. Mike Alvidrez has announced his plans to step down next year.

Brooks + Scarpa's homeless housing "The Six" developed in conjunction with the Skid Row Housing Trust. Image: Brooks + Scarpa

He will remain in an "ambassador" role to help the new leadership, although applicants for that position will not be formally reviewed until later this year. In a statement to The Architect's Newspaper, Alvidrez noted that "the public perception of supportive housing has forever changed thanks to our partnerships with renowned architects to design beautiful residential and community spaces that foster reconnection, healing, and dignity.”

Brooks + Scarpa's homeless housing "The Six" developed in conjunction with the Skid Row Housing Trust. Image: Brooks + Scarpa

Yale students are raising awareness about homelessness and affordable housing

2017-06-20T18:35:00-04:00

Inside the pavilion is a long table embedded with exhibits and audio stations telling the stories of people who are either experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless, along with excerpts from data sets, state reports, urban theory, poetry, and literature.

Working with New Haven-based homeless services provider Columbus House, students from the Yale School of Architecture designed an interactive pavilion that will be featured at this year’s festival together with an exhibition of student work in the YSoA architecture gallery showing proposals for affordable two-unit dwellings.

“The built environment affects us all, and it is our belief that architects and designers have an important role to play in addressing many of the most vexing issues of our time, including the shortage of affordable housing and making our cities more inclusive," states Deborah Berke, Dean of the YSoA.

The pavilion is open to the public 10AM - 4PM through June 24, and the exhibition will be on display Monday-Friday, 9AM - 5PM, and Saturday, 10AM - 5PM. through Aug. 12 at the YSoA gallery, 180 York St.

Refugee shelter takes top prize for the Beazley Designs of 2016

2017-01-26T20:13:00-05:00

Designed by Johan Karlsson, Dennis Kanter, Christian Gustafsson, John van Leer, Tim de Haas, Nicolò Barlera, the IKEA Foundation and UNHCR, the photovoltaic panel-powered refugee shelter "Better Shelter" has been named the Beazley Design of the Year, beating out the five other category winners to take the top spot.

According to a press release, 30,000 of the shelters, which only take a few hours to assemble from their two-box, fully equipped kit, are currently being used globally.

Inside San Francisco's complex relationship with homelessness

2016-12-20T12:44:00-05:00

In this historically researched and nuanced piece for The New York Times, Daniel Duane examines the conflicted attitude of San Franciscans--and Californians in general--toward homelessness, immigration, and the problems of housing density. He notes that despite the state's fame for its compassionate liberalism, when it gets right down to it few people want to actually make the changes neccessary to prevent transience, whether that's forking out more cash in the form of sales tax to build shelters, or allowing denser housing developments to help keep up with expanding populations (and the subsequent affordable housing crunch). The article notes that:

There are now tents on sidewalks above which people pay $4,500 a month for one-bedroom apartments. The construction this year of a "Super Bowl City" for football fans in downtown San Francisco in advance of the big game sent even more homeless people looking for new turf. Some formed an immense village of colorful domes between a food-tru...

Airbnb helps the homeless while getting involved with L.A.'s City Council

2016-10-25T13:27:00-04:00

After being criticized for helping to displace renters by inadvertently motivating landlords to turn long-term rentals into short-term hotel-like quarters, Airbnb is getting political and donating $100,000 to Los Angeles' Proposition HHH, which would require city officials to raise tax dollars to build 10,000 units of homeless housing. According to an article in the L.A. Times:

"The contribution comes as a proposed ordinance to regulate short-term rentals is working its way to the City Council. The measure, approved in June by the Los Angeles Planning Commission, would limit short-term rentals to 180 days per year, exclude rent-controlled units and impose a tax on rentals.

Airbnb welcomes being regulated but is not endorsing all the terms of the proposal as is, said spokesman Christopher Nully."

Airbnb in the news:

Finland has greatly reduced its homeless population — here's how

2016-09-16T19:13:00-04:00

Finland is the only European country where homelessness has decreased in recent years. At the end of 2015 the number of single homeless people was for the first time under 7,000 and this number includes people living temporarily with friends and relatives, who constitute 80% of all homeless people [...] The main explanation for this success is quite simple: when the national programme started housing first was adopted as a mainstream national homelessness policy.

The housing first model is quite simple: when people are homeless, you give them housing first – a stable home, rather than progressing them through several levels of temporary and transitional accommodation.

In related news:

Inside the failure of Jerry Brown's plans to ease California's housing crisis

2016-09-13T12:49:00-04:00

Despite introducing what seemed like excellent legislation to help increase the number of affordable housing units in developer-backed housing projects, California governor Jerry Brown's proposal caused so much multi-faceted angst it became political poison, primarily because it gently circumvented the traditional development process. This L.A. Times piece takes a look at what went wrong, noting that:

If developers pledged to set aside some units in their projects for low-income residents, the governor’s proposed legislation would have eliminated some local hurdles to building, likely leading to a modest increase in construction.

Yet the proposal the governor unveiled in May represented a profound shakeup in how the development process would have worked in California. The measure challenged the primacy of local control over housing, inflamed powerful entrenched interests and was eyed warily by the very groups representing those the plan was supposed to help.

For more on California's...