This article was originally published by The Architect's Newspaper as "A wave of affordable and market-rate housing could soon wash ashore in California."

© Kimson Doan

This article was originally published by The Architect's Newspaper as "A wave of affordable and market-rate housing could soon wash ashore in California."In recent months, legislators in California have begun a concerted effort to use state law to address the state?s ongoing housing crisis. The moves come amid worsening regional inequality that has pushed housing affordability outside the reach of many populations. Facing mounting pressure from a growing cohort of pro-housing YIMBY activists and increasingly grim economic and social impacts?including a sharp increase in the number of rent-burdened households and the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness?state-level legislators have begun to take action where municipal leaders have thus far stopped short.Late last year, the California State Legislature approved a bundle of housing-focused bills in what amounted to the first key win for state-led housing reform efforts. The legislature passed a total of seven bills aimed at streamlining permitting, enforcing regional housing production benchmarks, and preventing municipalities from down-zoning parcels or rejecting by-right projects. Several of the bills also aimed to stimulate new housing spending for affordable units, including a measu...