Local Government's Role

Inequitable investment in cities throughout the United States, coupled with the deep federal and state cuts to local government, has made safe, stable, and affordable housing less attainable. This discussion looks at the roles local governments do and don’t play in promoting access to healthy housing for all. Michelle Wilde Anderson writes about the tools that cities have to improve access to healthy housing. The three responses, written by Betsy Julian, Bobby Stahl, and Ben Winig with Derek Carr, examine some of the limits local governments face in their efforts, and possible paths forward.