Bloomberg Philanthropies Invests in 30 U.S. City Halls to Scale Proven Solutions to America’s Housing Crisis
New funding and expert support will put housing approaches already succeeding in San Diego, Austin, and Atlanta to work across the country
First 15 local governments receiving support—Albuquerque, Alexandria, Charleston, Chattanooga, Cleveland, Columbia, Durham, Louisville, Miami, Nashville, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, and San Jose—span 13 U.S. states
New York, NY — As America confronts a severe shortage of homes, and Washington responds with its first comprehensive housing legislation in decades, Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced new investment to move three of the nation’s most effective local housing solutions from the city halls that pioneered them – Atlanta, Austin, and San Diego – to up to 30 more across the country. The first 15 municipalities selected for support are: Albuquerque, NM; Alexandria, VA; Charleston, SC; Chattanooga, TN; Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Durham, NC; Louisville, KY; Miami, FL; Nashville, TN; Omaha, NE; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, ME; Providence, RI; and San Jose, CA.
“City halls are taking local action to increase the housing supply and ease the shortage that is driving up rents and leaving the dream of home ownership out of reach,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City. “As local governments address this issue, we have a great opportunity to spread the best ideas across the country. That is what this initiative is all about: helping more mayors adopt proven ways of getting more housing built—and delivering.”
After more than a decade of underbuilding, the country faces a housing shortfall that reaches nearly every region and income level. Construction of starter homes—those under 1,400 square feet—has collapsed from more than a third of new single-family building in the 1970s to roughly one in ten today. Some 8.1 million families now share a home with people outside their household because they cannot find another within their means. For the lowest-income renters, just 35 affordable homes exist for every 100 who need one.
The pattern repeats in community after community: rent growth outrunning wages growth, commutes lengthening, and home ownership arriving later in life—if it arrives at all. Much of what drives the crisis—rising rents, interest rates, construction costs, land prices—sits beyond any one jurisdiction’s control. But the levers local government does hold are among the most consequential: what may be built, where it may be built, and how quickly it is approved. Several U.S. mayors have pulled those levers with striking results, and their examples help answer how more housing in America actually gets built. That broader effort is gaining backing from private companies, civic associations, and nonprofits. This commitment from Bloomberg Philanthropies joins them with the best of what municipal innovation offers: the means to take the headway city halls have already made much further.
The new initiative is anchored in three local government models: speeding and digitizing permitting, from San Diego, CA; expanding Accessory Dwelling Units, from Austin, TX; and housing strike teams, from Atlanta, GA.
- In San Diego, CA, where the median home now costs more than $1 million and just 17% of households can afford one, city hall fast-tracked building applications reviews through digitization after Mayor Gloria signed an executive order setting a 30-day limit on approvals. Homes cleared for construction jumped 82% in one year, the most since 2005, a pace that held with nearly 8,800 permitted the year following.
- After a decade in Austin, TX, in which rents climbed faster than almost anywhere in the country, Mayor Kirk Watson and Austin City Council legalized up to three homes on most single-family lots, including backyard and other accessory units, and shrank minimum parcels from 5,750 to 1,800 square feet. Roughly 120,000 have gone up since 2015, and the city has become one of the only major markets where rents have fallen since the pandemic.
- In Atlanta, GA, where the typical household would need more than half its income to cover the median rent, Mayor Andre Dickens pulled every agency leader with a hand in housing into one unit under his Chief Housing Officer, aimed at dislodging stalled projects. Their work put more than 2,000 affordable units back in motion, with upwards of 14,000 now built or underway, over halfway to the city’s 20,000-home goal, and ahead of pace.
“America’s affordability crisis begins with housing, and local government must move with the urgency it demands,” said Mayor Todd Gloria of San Diego, CA. “In San Diego, we have advanced scores of projects representing more than 7,200 homes, with reviews now averaging just nine days—speed that means less risk, lower costs, and housing that reaches residents sooner. The shortage does not stop at city limits, and neither should the solutions, which is why we are proud to serve as an anchor for this Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative, building on the organization’s longstanding work to help more mayors meet the moment – and deliver.”
“In Atlanta, we learned that the most effective way to get homes built is to bring every agency and organization with a hand in housing together under that one clear mission,” said Mayor Andre Dickens of Atlanta, GA. “The strike force we assembled to carry it out is already outpacing our own 2030 housing production goal ahead of schedule. We are proud to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies on even more Government Innovation work, this time to spread that approach to mayors across the country, who will join us in showing what city halls can get done.”
“Mayors across this country are focused on finding real solutions that address the affordability crisis, and here in Austin, we took action to cut red tape on permitting and passed land use policies that make it easier to put more housing on the ground,” said Mayor Kirk Watson of Austin, TX. “Austin is today one of the only major urban markets in the U.S. where housing costs fell in recent years. Now, we’re excited to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies to help carry these reforms to jurisdictions nationwide, guided by the rare understanding that the way out of America’s housing shortage depends on investing in what already works in city halls.”
Now, the Bloomberg Philanthropies effort will bring these three approaches to up to 30 city halls, with roughly ten local governments employing each one. Each municipality selected will receive $450,000 to $750,000 in funding—for piloting technology to clear approvals, engaging architects to draft permit-ready plans, and hiring strike team staff—as well as expert operational support to implement quickly, delivered with Accelerator for America and other field-leading specialists, such as Public Digital. City hall participants will also network with their peers, sharing what is succeeding on the ground and strengthening their plans with the officials furthest ahead on housing solutions nationwide.
Within two years, participants are expected to produce results: cutting approval timelines in half, doubling pipelines of Accessory Dwelling Units, and posting gains on citywide supply. The effort also aims to position them to capitalize on federal policy. The ROAD to Housing Act creates new incentives for these same reforms—modernized permitting, pre-approved housing plans, activated public land—and rewards the localities prepared to carry them out. That readiness is what the initiative helps mayors build: plans on paper, policy in place, and staff to execute when national investment arrives.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies has spent years betting on local government as the place where real problems get solved, and this partnership puts that belief directly to work on housing,” said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, President and CEO of Accelerator for America. “With this support, Accelerator for America gets to do what we do best: help more mayors put proven tools to work in their own cities – building the homes our communities desperately need — and creating national change from the ground up.”
The initiative, part of the organization’s longstanding Government Innovation portfolio, will be housed within its Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, the first effort of its kind moving what works in one municipality to where it is needed next. More than 1,000 city halls from 95 countries—serving over 745 million residents—take part in the Idea Exchange today, with nearly 200 replications complete or underway.
“Housing is issue number one for America’s mayors, and working with Bloomberg Philanthropies to adapt what is working elsewhere gives Miami more resources to lead as boldly as the challenge demands,” said Mayor Eileen Higgens of Miami, FL. “We expect fast results, measured in more homes cleared for construction, and we are proud to do this work alongside leading local governments nationwide.”
“Columbia is committed to meeting our community’s growth by bringing together every part of local government and our external partners to expand access to affordable housing,” said Mayor Daniel Rickenmann of Columbia, SC. “This Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative will accelerate our efforts and connect us with peers nationwide who are demonstrating how mayors can turn innovative strategies into results-driven solutions.”
“Cleveland is proving that we don’t have to wait for someone else to solve our housing challenges, and we are making it easier to build, bringing new tools and partners to the table, and turning vacant land into homes and opportunity,” said Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, OH. “This partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies will help us move faster to deliver high-quality housing for our residents.”
“Our housing policy is only as good as the homes and future opportunities it creates for San Jose families,” said Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose, CA. “I’m excited to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies to make permitting a new home dramatically simpler, faster, and less expensive. If we’ve already zoned a parcel for housing, it shouldn’t take a year or more to get permission to build the very thing we’re trying to enable.”
About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2025, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $4.3 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.
Media Contact:
Sam Fuld, sam@bloomberg.org