Forging a New Frontier in Housing

Western communities are facing a historic housing crisis. Increased housing demand, accelerated by people relocating to the region during the COVID pandemic, has encountered inadequate supply and planning and zoning laws and practices that fail to meet the moment. The result is skyrocketing housing costs. In response, some Western states have embraced progressive reforms challenging historic exclusionary zoning, parking minimums, low-density development, and other planning norms that defined the region's suburban ideal during much of the last century. They are navigating a new frontier, adapting and innovating strategies to increase housing supply in hopes of reducing costs, while striving to preserve the natural assets and amenities that continue to attract new residents.

This presentation provides case studies from Helena, Montana, and Springville, Utah, two cities in the midst of responding to the housing crisis and carving new paths for urban planning. It demonstrates how Western cities can use leading-edge geospatial tools and old-fashioned community outreach to forge a new path as the region re-envisions what it means to plan in the booming West.
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