By Ken Smith / Explore how community land trusts (CLTs) are reshaping affordable housing in Wisconsin and beyond. This in-depth article explains how CLTs work, their role in preventing displacement and land speculation, and insights from Milwaukee housing leaders on building a more equitable, justice-oriented housing system.
Read more about "Are Community Land Trusts the Solution for a More Justice-Oriented City?"
By Ali Hoffman / It’s increasingly clear that we can’t solve the housing shortage on our own. However, in the meantime, people are getting creative, reimagining how and where they live while they wait for more homes to be built.
Read more about "Why We’re Choosing to Live Near Each Other Again"
By Tehila Cohen / What can Milwaukee’s Cream City brick and Jerusalem’s limestone teach us about how cities define themselves? Explore how local materials become symbols of identity, from Jerusalem’s century-old stone ordinance to Milwaukee’s iconic Cream City façades. Both cities have wrestled with growth, housing pressure, and modernization, sometimes preserving tradition, sometimes replacing it out of necessity. When we build the future, what parts of the past do we choose to carry forward?
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By Ken Smith / Recapping key conversations shaping Wisconsin’s housing future, from regional data showing a deepening supply shortage to local debates over zoning, affordability, and NIMBYism. Highlights include insights from the Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit, emerging ideas like community land trusts to relieve the housing shortage, and on-the-ground efforts to connect housing policy with community-driven development.
Read more about "Housing Onward June Update"
Ken Smith shares thoughts on the housing-related legislation from the 2025-2025 session, with a detailed breakdown of legislation passed and potential impact on broader statewide housing goals.
Read more about "Housing-Related Legislation to Watch"
By Ken Smith, Housing Policy Director /
Behind every new home is a maze of local rules – and they matter more than you think. From zoning codes to approval timelines, the fine print of local regulations can quietly shape what gets built, where, and whether it gets built at all (often adding cost, delay, and uncertainty that limit housing supply).
