PITTSBURGH \u2014 Pittsburgh has been selected as one of the first 15 U.S. cities to participate in a new Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative aimed at accelerating permit reform and expanding local housing stock.<\/p>\n
The city will receive between $450,000 and $750,000 in funding alongside operational support to modernize its building application processes.<\/p>\n
The national program seeks to spread successful local housing solutions from cities like Atlanta, Austin and San Diego to up to 30 municipalities nationwide. <\/p>\n
Pittsburgh will focus on adapting San Diego\u2019s model of digitizing and expediting building permits, supported by expert technical guidance from the nonprofit Accelerator for America.<\/p>\n
The grant of $450,000 to $750,000 will allow Pittsburgh to pilot technology designed to speed up building permit applications. Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor noted that the city has already taken steps to update its permitting processes. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlready this year, we have made great progress in modernizing our permitting system to make it easier for homes to be built and small businesses to grow,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cJoining Bloomberg Philanthropies as one of the first cities in their new housing initiative will help us have access to the funding and expertise to make these changes even faster to revolutionize permitting in Pittsburgh and say yes to growth in our neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh\u2019s permitting overhaul will mirror reforms established in San Diego, Calif., where city officials instituted a 30-day limit on building application reviews. Following the change, homes cleared for construction in San Diego increased 82% in a single year, with nearly 8,800 units permitted the following year. In San Diego, the median home price exceeds $1 million and only 17% of households can afford a home.<\/p>\n
The broader initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies exports three local municipal approaches across the country: San Diego\u2019s permit digitization, Atlanta\u2019s housing strike force teams and Austin\u2019s accessory dwelling unit expansion. Pittsburgh is among an initial group of 15 municipalities that includes Albuquerque, N.M.; Cleveland, Ohio; Miami, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and San Jos\u00e9, Calif. Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies and former mayor of New York City, emphasized the role of local government in expanding housing. <\/p>\n
\u201cCity 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,\u201d Bloomberg said. \u201cAs 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\u2014and delivering.\u201d<\/p>\n
The national program operates within the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, a division of the foundation\u2019s Government Innovation portfolio that transfers proven local government policies between cities. More than 1,000 city halls across 95 countries participate in the network. Operational assistance for participating municipalities will be provided by Accelerator for America. Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, president and CEO of Accelerator for America, highlighted the focus on municipal solutions. <\/p>\n
\u201cBloomberg 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,\u201d Wiederwohl said. \u201cWith this support, Accelerator for America gets to do what we do best: help more mayors put proven tools to work in their own cities \u2013 building the homes our communities desperately need \u2014 and creating national change from the ground up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The national effort addresses a housing shortage created by more than a decade of underbuilding across the United States. Construction of starter homes measuring under 1,400 square feet fell from more than one-third of new single-family building in the 1970s to roughly one in 10 today. Nationally, about 8.1 million families share housing with individuals outside their household, while 35 affordable homes exist for every 100 lowest-income renters.<\/p>\n
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