ARIZONA TOWN HALL

APA Arizona will convene a Town Hall (facilitated by Arizona Town Hall). This Town Hall event will bring together local government officials, community planners, builders, and any other stakeholders interested in developing recommendations and priorities for planning-led zoning reform and legislative solutions to increase housing choice, lower housing costs, reduce homelessness, address inequities in our communities, and connect people to opportunity. The Arizona Town Hall will be used to facilitate the development of tools for local governments to improve local capacity for zoning reform, and housing planning. It will also identify critical housing solutions and help to speed zoning and code reforms to enable communities to produce, preserve, and provide diverse, quality housing options.

Housing is the single biggest factor impacting economic mobility for most Americans. When residents have stable living conditions, the benefits are apparent. It’s up to local governments and leaders to evaluate and reform ordinances and rules to create positive outcomes for residents and communities. Boosting the supply, availability, and diversity of housing options is essential to expanding opportunity and affordability for all. As communities throughout Arizona are confronting an expanding housing crisis, the need for reform has never been greater. This crisis threatens our economy, limits access to opportunity, reinforces long-standing inequities, and undermines efforts to create more sustainable places. The Arizona Town Hall event will allow committed community planners and local officials to work together to find solutions, establish priorities, and build momentum for a common agenda. Together, we can speed the adoption of policies that will reform zoning and increase housing choice in communities across Arizona. This solutions-oriented event will provide model practices, ordinances, and actionable resources to help local communities address their unique housing challenges. These efforts will be designed for immediate implementation.

The American Planning Association launched an important initiative—the Housing Supply Accelerator. The recommendations report and priorities created as the work product of the Arizona Town Hall will be shared with those involved with the Housing Supply Accelerator. Full conference attendees do not need to register for this special event. The Arizona Town Hall is included within the cost of the full conference registration. Event only registration fee is $50 for those not registered for the full conference.