Equitable Housing Preemption
This session examines state preemption of local authority to protect tenants, particularly during COVID, and expand affordable housing . Many state legislatures, in both “red” and “blue” states, preempt local governments from increasing housing supply, crafting inclusionary zoning, or implementing rent regulations to alleviate housing unaffordability. This dynamic has particularly come to a head during the COVID-19 pandemic as local governments have sought to impose eviction moratoriums and extend other support to burdened renters. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for local government leadership on equitable housing policies, and even where state preemption exists, local governments may still be able advance housing equity through collaboration with the federal government through the American Rescue Plan.
Speaker: Nestor Davidson, Sarah Beth Gehl, Lauren A. Lowery & Ben Winig