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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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Unsheltered people in Skid Row lack sufficient access to water and shade, and advocates say they need dozens more climate stations to address the need. -
LA city planners hear from a chorus of Angelenos wanting more housing in single-family neighborhoodsCity officials plan to leave single-family zones out of their blueprint for hundreds of thousands of new homes. Many residents are urging them to reverse course. -
The battle over the city-owned lot was the subject of a 2022 podcast by LAist Studios. -
Last month the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities are no longer prohibited from punishing homeless people for camping if they have nowhere else to go. -
The city has a lot of work to do to meet state housing goals, including rezoning. But officials don’t want to touch single-family neighborhoods. -
Invitation Homes buys, renovates and rents out suburban houses. A lawsuit claims many SoCal renovations were not permitted. The company settled but maintains there was no wrongdoing.
