The word is being swatted around like a pickleball, but too few public officials have stopped to seriously consider what “affordability” actually means for local governments and the people they serve, and what those governments can do to make a difference.
I served for nearly two decades as a public official in both the legislative and executive branches of local government, followed by six years as a state college president. Across every leadership role I held, my primary focus was creating affordability for individuals and communities. From that experience and the prevailing research, I have concluded that there are three areas where local officials can make the greatest difference.
First, cities must confront the shortage and rising cost of housing. Blue cities like Atlanta, located in red states like Georgia, face significant legislative constraints. Local governments are often prohibited from enacting rent control or strengthening tenant protections. But for the most part cities do control land use and zoning. They can offer incentives for affordable housing development, eliminate exclusionary zoning practices and remove restrictions that penalize multifamily housing and density along major commercial corridors.
Atlanta’s recent history offers a cautionary tale. Beginning in preparation for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and continuing into the 2010s, the city demolished approximately 2,000 public housing units. Under the federal HOPE VI program, the Atlanta Housing Authority replaced them with mixed-income, mixed-use developments — but not nearly enough to offset what was lost. Strict eligibility requirements prevented many former residents from returning. In hindsight, these were flawed policy choices that accelerated gentrification and contributed directly to the city’s current affordability crisis.
The second major driver of affordability is the cost of getting around. In 2023, American households spent an average of more than $13,000 on transportation. Reducing that burden by just 25 percent would save residents more than $3,200 a year — real money that could go toward housing, education or health care.
Local governments can reduce transportation expenses by investing in public transit (and keeping the fares reasonably low) and by building safe and complete streets that encourage mobility options such as car-, bike- and scooter-sharing. Too often, officials default to widening highways. That may help with congestion, but it won’t impact transportation affordability.
Public officials also should prioritize policies that reduce automobile dependence by expanding remote-work opportunities and promoting compact, mixed-use development that minimizes daily travel.
Another opportunity for local governments to improve affordability lies in lowering the cost of utilities. Many cities and counties provide water services, giving local governments leverage to invest in efficiency-enhancing technologies that lower the costs of operations, savings that can be passed on to consumers. Advanced leak-detection systems such as laser-based cameras, for example, can identify underground water loss before residents are hit with astronomical bills. Cities can also lower the cost of water by requiring developers to capture and reuse stormwater for irrigation, toilet flushing and vehicle washing. And even when utilities are not municipally owned, public officials should not hesitate to stand with residents against frequent and unreasonable rate hikes.
Opposing an unjustified utility increase can happen quickly. By contrast, facilitating affordable housing development can take a decade or more. Building or expanding transit systems can take even longer. Residents need relief now. The only honest response is transparency, telling constituents that after political debates conclude, funding is secured and contractors are in place — a process that alone may take five years — it could take another three to five years before projects come online.
The good news, as far as affordability is concerned, is that once the pipeline begins to move, progress becomes visible: more affordable housing units each year, more complete streets and walking trails, and more manageable utility costs. This also means that some projects launched under one administration may not be completed until the next. That should not be a problem, so long as leaders remember a saying attributed to President Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
Governing's opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing's editors or management.
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