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Building Your Block
A newsletter course from LAist that explains the obstacles around housing development in L.A. and what you can do to make things better.
We know there’s a housing shortage in L.A., and it’s created major challenges for the region. But try to understand how to fix the problem and it gets murky, fast. We need more housing, but where can we actually build it? Why does it seem like all the new buildings going up are luxury apartments? Why isn’t there enough affordable housing? And most importantly: What can you actually do to support the housing you want to see in L.A.?
These are just some of the questions that Building Your Block will tackle in this seven-issue newsletter course.
Think of it as your starter guide to the conversations L.A. is having about housing development, plus we’ll bring you some real talk on what you can do to advocate for the housing future you want.
What can I expect?
Over seven issues, we’ll cover everything from how zoning rules determine what gets built and where, to why there’s so little affordable housing.
We’ll cap it all off with a long list of ideas you can put into action to influence housing decisions in your backyard, your city and beyond.
How often will you email me?
This newsletter has seven issues in total. Once you sign up, you’ll get one new issue a day until it’s done.
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The most recent heatwave sent a lot of unhoused people to seek refuge in public libraries. But libraries can become more than a shelter and turn into an access point for some services. -
Cities around the state are trying to circumvent California’s new law allowing duplexes to be built on properties previously zoned as single family. Their methods include everything from removing parking and forbidding vehicle ownership to requiring arbitrary amounts of mature vegetation. -
Temperatures reached over 100 degrees in some parts of the region. Unsheltered people are left to figure out ways to stay cool. -
Gender identity brings barriers to some unhoused people, who often don’t feel safe at facilities they’re placed in. But some organizations are trying to change that. -
A new report by the RAND Corporation spotlighted the potential of adaptive reuse. -
Tenants have long complained that L.A. County fails to punish landlords who rent out deteriorating, unhealthy apartments. Now, that could change.
