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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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As 2022 approaches, residents of downtown L.A., both housed and unhoused, want to see more effort from the city council to address housing. -
Next year, L.A. voters could be asked to pass a new tax on real estate sales of $5 million or more. -
As outreach efforts continue across the city, people experiencing homelessness may have longer wait times to get placed into shelter — and now winter weather has arrived. -
Since the pandemic started, nearly 40% fewer people have been moving into L.A. from other parts of the U.S. -
Unlike other homeless housing projects, the renovation of the Cecil didn’t rely on taxpayer money. And it’s creating new units at a fraction of the cost. -
L.A. has already created lots of housing through “adaptive reuse” of old buildings. The pandemic could lead to even more conversions.
