Continuing the momentum: Driving local-level housing reform in Massachusetts communities

Smart Growth America is proud to continue supporting local advocacy efforts for affordable housing and zoning reform with the launch of the 2025 Massachusetts Technical Assistance cohort. Generously funded by The Barr Foundation, this year’s program builds on the successes of SGA’s previous iteration of the MA TA program in 2022-2023 and the Opportunity Zones … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance Zoning

Counties for housing solutions: Building a path to affordable housing

Over the course of 11 weeks, elected officials, planners, and local community-based organizations from six counties worked in partnership with Smart Growth America and the National Association of Counties (NACo) during our first Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS) program. Through the program, participants from Guilford County, North Carolina; Harris County, Texas; Hidalgo County, Texas; Jackson … Continued

Economic development Land Use and Development Technical assistance

Eliminating Zoning Barriers to Affordable Housing Guidebook

In response to the nation’s housing affordability crisis, many states, counties, and municipalities have enacted zoning reform to encourage and facilitate affordable housing choices. The Eliminating Zoning Barriers to Affordable Housing Guidebook provides practical and evidence-based solutions for practitioners seeking to address the housing supply and affordability crisis in their communities through zoning reform. Audience … Continued

Land Use and Development Zoning

Supporting smart growth in Pittsfield and Somerville, MA

Last fall, SGA concluded a technical assistance partnership with two Massachusetts community organizations, CultureHouse in Somerville and Westside Legends in Pittsfield. The Massachusetts Technical Assistance programming included three distinct phases of support for the two community organizations in their efforts to advance affordable housing production and economic development opportunities in their respective communities. CultureHouse: Encouraging … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance

Westside Working Group Recommendations: Equitable Zoning Reform and Affordable Housing in MA

Over two months in 2023, Smart Growth America and Westside Legends convened the Westside Working Group as part of our technical assistance program to advance equitable zoning reform and affordable housing development in Massachusetts. The Westside Working Group consisted of community members, civic leaders, and business leaders to develop recommendations to support affordable housing preservation … Continued

Land Use and Development

New zoning reform technical assistance program in Massachusetts

Smart Growth America is launching a new technical assistance (TA) program to support equitable development and housing attainability in Massachusetts thanks to generous funding from The Barr Foundation.  The program is designed to provide community-based organizations with the skills and tools to advance sustainable, equitable development and affordable housing, and to support generational wealth creation … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance Zoning

SGA selected to administer HUD Community Compass initiative

Smart Growth America, in partnership with the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), was selected to administer technical assistance as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Community Compass program. In the coming months, SGA will work to support three communities in assessing their zoning constraints to delivering affordable … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance Zoning

Building consensus: Congress takes on zoning

On April 28, 2023, SGA attended the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in their hearing, “Building Consensus to Address Housing Challenges.” At the hearing, senators recognized the housing crisis and the need to address it, and witnesses testified to various approaches to solving housing problems and delivering more much-needed housing affordable to … Continued

Land Use and Development

All eyes on Congress as they negotiate a fourth phase of COVID-19 relief


With the country still in urgent need of more economic relief from the pandemic, Congress continues to be deadlocked on producing a legislative package. In the latest proposal, Senate Republicans unveiled the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act last week—their latest legislative response to COVID-19 following the HEROES Act passed by the House more than two months ago.

LOCUS