Nolan Gray

Senior Director:Legislation & Research

Latest

ADUS increasingly popular during housing crunch

The Growing Federal Push for Zoning Reform

With housing affordability elusive, the federal government is showing a growing interest in encouraging US states and cities to ease barriers to construction.

June 25, 2024

June 25, 2024

The Growing Federal Push for Zoning Reform

With housing affordability elusive, the federal government is showing a growing interest in encouraging US states and cities to ease barriers to construction.

ADUS increasingly popular during housing crunch

April 8, 2022

April 8, 2022

The Problem With Building a New City From Scratch

California needs to ease its housing crunch, but establishing brand-new cities isn’t the best way to do it, says urban planner Alain Bertaud. “The trouble is: Who wants to be first?”

Brazil

October 21, 2020

October 21, 2020

In a Land of Cul-de-Sacs, the Street Grid Stages a Comeback

Since the 1950s, suburban planning has been dominated by winding, disconnected roads. But in Texas, new developments are rediscovering the virtues of the grid.

In a Land of Cul-de-Sacs, the Street Grid Stages a Comeback

May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020

How Car-Clogged Houston Could Be a Climate Policy Leader

Houston’s infamous lack of zoning could become a climate-policy asset as the sprawling Texas metropolis attempts to steer a more sustainable course.

How Car-Clogged Houston Could Be a Climate Policy Leader

March 27, 2020

March 27, 2020

The NIMBYs of the Coronavirus Crisis

Why would residents block a Covid-19 testing site? For the same reason many oppose other forms of neighborhood change: a desire to shift the burden elsewhere.

The NIMBYs of the Coronavirus Crisis

August 19, 2019

August 19, 2019

How Amazon Could Transform the Tiny House Movement

Could the e-commerce giant help turn small-home living from a niche fad into a national housing solution?

How Amazon Could Transform the Tiny House Movement

June 5, 2019

June 5, 2019

How Luxury Units Turn Into Affordable Housing

Building more high-end apartments doesn’t sound like a quick fix for the affordable housing crisis. But maybe you just have to look harder.

How Luxury Units Turn Into Affordable Housing

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

America’s First Greenbelt May Be in Jeopardy

Adopted in the 1950s to protect the city’s iconic horse farms, the urban growth boundary of Lexington, Kentucky, no longer seems unassailable.

America’s First Greenbelt May Be in Jeopardy

March 8, 2019

March 8, 2019

How Marvel Packs a Universe Into New York City

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive mythos with the Big Apple at its center. Here’s what Spider-Man, Iron Man, and other superheroes say about their city.

How Marvel Packs a Universe Into New York City

January 28, 2019

January 28, 2019

How ‘Vasectomy Zoning’ Makes Childless Cities

Municipalities shouldn’t block or raise the cost of things young parents need, like day-care centers and two-bedroom houses or apartments.

How ‘Vasectomy Zoning’ Makes Childless Cities

December 11, 2018

December 11, 2018

How Cities Design Themselves

Urban planner Alain Bertaud’s new book, Order Without Design, argues that cities are really shaped by market forces, not visionaries.

How Cities Design Themselves

November 7, 2018

November 7, 2018

Voters Said No in California, but Other States Have Rent Control Battles Looming

Proposition 10 was rejected but rent control is on the agenda in other places across the country. Why? It’s not the affordable housing fix-all people think.

Voters Said No in California, but Other States Have Rent Control Battles Looming

October 16, 2018

October 16, 2018

The Improbable High-Rises of Pyongyang, North Korea

Kim Jong-un is transforming the Hermit State’s capital city into a pastel-hued “socialist fairyland.”

The Improbable High-Rises of Pyongyang, North Korea

August 20, 2018

August 20, 2018

When the Federal Government Takes on Local Zoning

Back in the first Bush Administration, Jack Kemp's HUD tried to rein in exclusionary housing restrictions. What happened?

When the Federal Government Takes on Local Zoning

July 26, 2018

July 26, 2018

The Urbanist Case for Trailer Parks

You want density and affordability? You should want manufactured housing. Too bad it’s often illegal.

The Urbanist Case for Trailer Parks

June 8, 2018

June 8, 2018

Dead Golf Courses Are the New NIMBY Battlefield

As the sport’s popularity wanes, vast amounts of underutilized land will open up. Can it be developed?

Dead Golf Courses Are the New NIMBY Battlefield

April 26, 2018

April 26, 2018

The YIMBYs Lost in California. But They're Just Getting Started.

The defeat of SB 827, California’s ambitious pro-housing bill, masks a wider trend: Similar initiatives are on the march nationwide.

The YIMBYs Lost in California. But They're Just Getting Started.

March 13, 2018

March 13, 2018

The Trump Administration’s War on New Housing

Americans need more affordable housing. Steel and lumber tariffs are not going to help.

The Trump Administration’s War on New Housing

January 3, 2018

January 3, 2018

What Might Hold Houston Back

The post-Harvey city needs to get denser and more urban.

What Might Hold Houston Back

November 25, 2017

November 25, 2017

The Triumph of the Latin American Mall

Boosted by a growing middle class, the shopping mall is booming in Central and South America.

The Triumph of the Latin American Mall