A Campaign for Locally Driven Housing Supply Solutions
Recognizing the need for multi-layered solutions and cross-sectoral collaboration to address housing challenges at the local level, the National League of Cities (NLC) and the American Planning Association (APA) came together to launch the Housing Supply Accelerator (HSA) in 2022. Focusing on identifying locally driven housing supply solutions that expand, preserve and improve the quantity and quality of housing, HSA seeks to align the efforts of public and private stakeholders in the housing supply sector.
HSA is guided by three principles — diverse, attainable and equitable — that shape the campaign’s vision for ensuring that housing supply meets the varied needs of every resident.
DIVERSE: Encompasses a wide variety of housing at a range of costs, types and tenure. This ensures that the housing supply provides for the diverse needs of residents.
ATTAINABLE: Signifies cost-appropriate for a range of households. This ensures there is no exclusion based on financial capacity.
EQUITABLE: Indicates meeting households where they are and supporting those disproportionately excluded from opportunities. This ensures fair and just access to housing for everyone
The goal of the campaign is to assist local government efforts to meet their residents’ housing needs by:
- Providing expertise and insight into local housing supply challenges to inform locally driven policy solutions.
- Elevating awareness of successful local initiatives to the national level.
- Facilitating greater alignment among all stakeholders involved in the housing supply pipeline.
- Developing a playbook with strategies for cities and communities to address their housing needs, providing a foundational resource for them to build upon.
- Enhancing local capacity to work toward tackling housing shortages and navigating housing needs effectively.
What Has the Campaign Accomplished So Far?
Since 2022, the Housing Supply Accelerator has made substantial progress. In 2023, HSA spearheaded a national dialogue committed to bring all housing-related partners around the table, conducted a nationwide survey and hosted listening sessions with NLC and APA members.
Housing Supply is a High Priority for Local Government Survey
In 2023, NLC conducted a nationwide survey of local elected officials to learn more about the challenges that cities face regarding local housing supply and to gauge their responsiveness to policy pathways and solutions. A total of 301 cities across all 50 states responded, revealing a shared priority in increasing housing supply and identifying their obstacles in doing so. Some shared obstacles identified included workforce shortages, financing challenges and land use obstacles. For more details, download the Housing Supply is a High Priority for Local Governments Fact Sheet.
Housing Supply Accelerator Convenings
In 2023, the Housing Supply Accelerator organized four major convenings across the US, bringing together the HSA steering committee, local governments, community planners, financial institutions, real estate agents, builders and developers along with a range of stakeholders from regional, state and federal levels, as well as private and nonprofit organizations. These convenings were focused narrowly on housing supply and the key drivers of local housing supply challenges, including construction and development, finance, land use and regulations, and the interconnected issues of infrastructure and workforce challenges related to housing supply.
- Construction and Development, held in Chicago, Illinois
- Finance, held in Tacoma, Washington
- Land Use and Regulation; held in Washington, D.C.
- Infrastructure and Workforce Challenges, held in Atlanta, Georgia
Building on the findings of the Housing Supply Accelerator convenings and their engagement, the Housing Supply Accelerator produced two major publications in 2024:
The Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook: Solutions, Systems, Partnerships
The playbook serves as a roadmap for local leaders, planners and private stakeholders navigating housing supply challenges. It adopts a systems approach to addressing housing supply issues, offering scalable solutions and promising examples from cities. The playbook calls for shared responsibility and aims to foster an actionable consensus for collective action.
What’s Next?
In 2025, the HSA will continue to scale, convene and provide capacity building resources to cities and communities. This will be achieved through the release of research, guides tools and continued education as well as convenings and expanding partnerships.
To kick off 2025 and continue providing resources to cities and communities, NLC has launched a housing finance resource, the Filling in the Gap Tool.
Filling in the Gap Tool
Funding often stands as a significant barrier preventing housing development projects from materializing, which is what led to the conception of NLC’s Filling the Gap Tool. This tool will help local leaders identify funding sources, policies, and strategies to bridge financial gaps that hinder housing project feasibility. It will explore federal and state funding opportunities, local policy levers and case studies of cities effectively utilizing these strategies to fund local housing projects.
Stay Connected
Local government leaders and planners have an opportunity to provide critical insight to this campaign through engagement with National League of Cities and the American Planning Association.
The Housing Supply Accelerator Field Guide
Disability-Forward Design Across Multiple Cities
- CitiesSpeak Guest
Housing Preservation Practices That Benefit People and the Environment
- Julia Glickman
Filling the Gap Tool: Unlocking Housing Finance
Why Housing is Key to Main Street Success
- Corianne Rice
Make the Pledge to House Homeless Veterans
- CitiesSpeak Guest