Nathaniel Decker's Page

The Stanford Center on Longevity released a report last week entitled "New Realities of an Older America" that shows how the US population will become older and more diverse.             In the report’s chapter on housing, the authors emphasize the mismatch between a national housing stock that is increasing made up of large suburban homes, and an aging population that’s increasingly living alone or in couples without children. Though the…See More

I’m writing a fact sheet for municipal officials on inclusionary zoning, and am looking to emphasize the non-partisan-ness of IZ. The most convincing examples of IZ that I reference so far (Montgomery County, MD; Burlington, VT) are all from areas traditionally considered “liberal.” I’m looking to show that IZ can be enacted and effective in “conservative” communities as well. Even an effective IZ program in a “red state” would be something.See More

I’m researching how local governments can promote or hinder the establishment of community land trusts. I’ve found a number of inspiring examples of community land trusts that have gained political support and worked well with local governments. I’m currently looking for cases where seemingly promising CLT movements have been unable to work with local governments and failed to get started. Does anyone know of any particularly promising CLT movements that have been hamstrung by local government?See More

The Cornell University planning department is organizing a symposium on regional planning this fall and is looking for engaging speakers.  We're hoping to find a speaker who has had practical experience dealing with affordable housing issues at the multi-municipality level. Does anyone have ideas of potential candidates?