Affordable by Design? Inclusionary Housing Insights from Southern California

Abstract

Many local governments face the challenge of addressing the shortage of affordable housing. This study examines the effectiveness of incentives and construction alternatives available from Southern California cities and those used by developers to address the need for affordable housing, using a survey research method. The results suggest that while density bonus ranks highest among the incentives available from cities, other incentives—design flexibility, subsidies, and fast-track processing—contribute considerably but were not available from many cities. Because few municipalities can offer subsidies, planners might offer no-cost incentives such as design flexibility and fast-track processing to encourage inclusionary housing.