Kirk Westphal

The effects of residential zoning in U.S. housing markets I construct a new nationwide dataset to measure the stringency of residential zoning in the United States and examine its effects on housing productio…

Important new research on the impact of zoning on the housing market. Minimum lot size requirements have two main effects: they increase housing costs and contribute to racial segregation. This was somewhat known to housing folks, but this paper matters because it uses advanced methods and data

Photo of a sidewalk that was built with a large bend in it to accommodate a tree that has long since died and been removed.

The “detour” part of this sidewalk catches a bunch of slush in the winter thanks to high-speed snowplows. There is a still a distinct low spot in the turf where the stump was removed decades ago.

So many maps are like this.

America Should Embrace a Parliamentary Democracy To stop a dictator from becoming president, we must give up our right to vote for one, writes Maxwell L. Stearns.

I'd love to see places like #umich and other universities cultivate discussions around how to fix it. Here's one scholar I'd like to hear more from. time.com/6958382/case...

The US and South Korea are the only wealthy democracies still using a full presidential system.

Trump’s abuses aren’t a bug, they’re a feature of a system that incentivizes strongmen — and no way to swap out leaders without a full election.

Maybe it's time we joined the modern world.

I've had two different #umich hospital call center interactions recently where I was deceived into thinking I was reaching a generic voice mail menu — and it turned out to be a live person. Beyond just great articulation, actual voiceover quality! Wished I had taken down the names to share.

In Ann Arbor, we had a practice years ago of handing out a piece of paper to planning commissioners showing everyone's attendance for the last quarter. It helped encourage people to step up or step out. In a paid position, paying per meeting has been a good option for some munis.

Exhibit A: if you don’t like the direction, attack the process.
Exhibit B: split the opponent’s base.
Exhibit C: exploit the BS asymmetry principle (Brandolini’s Law) and flood the zone with misinformation.
Exhibit D: keep moving the goalposts.

Some folks have not read the playbook.

New construction makes homes more affordable—even for those who can't afford the new units New market-rate housing can lower housing costs in neighborhoods across a metro area

“Faced with such requirements, developers may choose not to build, or to build fewer projects, limiting housing supply and driving up rents.” www.upjohn.org/research-hig...

Reminded of: “building 100 new market-rate units opens up… 70 units in neighborhoods earning below the area’s median income. In the poorest neighborhoods, it opens up… 40 units. That’s far more than the…affordable units policymakers often require new developments include… [in] inclusionary zoning.”

I'm inclusive, just not here! #annarbor bursts into the pantheon of lawn-sign contradictions as a draft of our new comprehensive plan moves toward the public comment period. #a2council #YIMBY

So this is better than having left turns, but my guess is that it is still significantly more dangerous overall than a roundabout. The writer exposes the typical speed-first, traffic engineer mindset by criticizing roundabouts for their potential to get gridlocked.

Mind you, city council already made the political decision to preemptively limit single-family areas to 35' — which of course did nothing to appease the bad-faith actors behind the "Pause the Plan" movement.

YouTube video by Tom Stulberg Ann Arbor Neighbors for Responsible Development

Remember, kids: apartment buildings are "viruses."

youtu.be/rXyXkPtLMU4?...

The map should have been changed but wasn't. There are lots of higher-density townhouse and multifamily complexes (R3-R4) that are now proposed to be downzoned to Residential. They should be Transition. (E.g., most/all the brown areas on the left, my map, should be Transition on the right.)

#Annarbor friends! ❤️THANK YOU❤️ to everyone who signed the SafetyforStadium.org petition! We're delivering it to City Council on Monday. If you haven't, this is your last chance to tell #a2council to narrow the road and install safe bike lanes and crossings! 🚴‍♀️🚶‍♀️👩‍🦽

New construction makes homes more affordable—even for those who can't afford the new units New market-rate housing can lower housing costs in neighborhoods across a metro area

“That’s far more than the five to 15 affordable units policymakers often require new developments include as a condition of approval, a practice called inclusionary zoning. Faced with such requirements, developers may choose not to build…” www.upjohn.org/research-hig...

Also excellent to build just at market rate. “Building 100 new market-rate units opens up the equivalent of 70 units in neighborhoods earning below the area’s median income. In the poorest neighborhoods, it opens up the equivalent of 40 units.”

Opinion: Ann Arbor has failed its Vision Zero goal. Now what? A coalition of residents and advocates are calling upon City Council to take a bold step and commit to a level of action and urgency tha...

Ann Arbor didn't just miss its #VisionZero deadline of 2025, we've had a record-breaking number of deaths & injuries recently. And this is with a City Council that is on board with traffic calming. Sharing this analysis as a cautionary tale. #a2council

www.damnarbor.com/2025/03/opin...

Density is Fun! Density is fun! More neighbors bring vibrant streets, thriving businesses, and strong community bonds. Let’s explore how density benefits Ann Arbor.

Check out my latest blog post on Density as Ann Arbor considers enabling more housing types city-wide. It's going to be a web series called, Density is Fun! I'd love to do a video walking tour of how missing middle housing can help transform Ann Arbor. #a2council

thewychefamily.com/density-in-f...

This is great! I'm proud that our current City Council has recognized that we have so little vacant land (and historic districts that will never change) that we need to welcome new residents *everywhere* we can! All the cities that people love to visit and walk around in have evolved over time.

Nice! I note that "buildings over four stories must include affordable units." Curious if there were any discussion of subsidizing units through public funding instead of making this a developer/new resident obligation? Or estimates of how many developments will avail themselves of the premium.

Even in progressive cities, it’s disappointing to see that the “planning process” still largely serves to lend a veneer of legitimacy for wealthy homeowners to control other people’s properties, even if they 1) live blocks and blocks away, and 2) will be long dead before a change affects them.

Yes, hopefully staff is drafting UDC language with placeholders for heights/uses/setbacks. Unfortunately the new consultant map calls for dubious side quests: 1) creating new district lines within R1 districts and 2) prohibiting all-residential buildings in large swaths of the city.

This would require ~60% of each property's frontage to have retail and restaurants. Low-traffic uses like banks and offices that are dark at night and bad for walkability would be limited to 40% frontage. It's a "death by 1000 cuts" issue that other cities protect themselves against — we should too!

So while I'm not in favor of requiring retail in most places, I do think it's critical to at least protect the walkability we already have downtown! (I would be remiss if I didn't promote my 15-year campaign to require "active uses" on core streets: Main, State, South U) tinyurl.com/bdzbfyy8

However, perhaps due to an oversight, the way it's written just says "no residential" for the 1st 100' at major corners... so it can be empty (no building at all like Arbor South), a lobby or private gym for a residential building, etc. Should be fixed!

One piece of good news is that the new TC-1 zoning district (which isn't this property but should be!) *tries* to acknowledge the value of some commercial uses by stipulating that you can't put residential on corners.