This is a great piece, I especially love your idea of the "permitting shot clock." It's painful seeing how long the process takes before shovels are even in the ground, and anything that will help get houses up faster should be universally welcomed.
Thanks, not my own term but it there needs to be a sense of urgency! Building departments are definitely not known for their energy but would like to see them be more dynamic. We could start by eliminating paper submissions too (somehow everyone wants to be green but we are still required to print out acres of drawings each time we submit an update)
In Aotearoa New Zealand(where I live), there has long been a combative dynamic between local governments(LG) & central governments(CG).
CG will demand more from LG, while cuting funds for arbitrary reasons(we do Not Have a debt crisis), that in turn forces LGs to increase rates which in turn makes them unpopular with voters/rate payers.
A lack of understanding of these dynamics, coupled with Kiwis phobia of government spending means that any CG who proposes long term infrastrucure projects get voted out.
It has NOT always been this way, but when we have myopic (mostly) older generations, AKA: NIMBYs telling us younger grnerations that "it's always been this way" it makes it very difficult to change the inertia of the status quo.
Apologies for the rant. I appreciate your insights.
This is a great piece, I especially love your idea of the "permitting shot clock." It's painful seeing how long the process takes before shovels are even in the ground, and anything that will help get houses up faster should be universally welcomed.
Thanks, not my own term but it there needs to be a sense of urgency! Building departments are definitely not known for their energy but would like to see them be more dynamic. We could start by eliminating paper submissions too (somehow everyone wants to be green but we are still required to print out acres of drawings each time we submit an update)
In Aotearoa New Zealand(where I live), there has long been a combative dynamic between local governments(LG) & central governments(CG).
CG will demand more from LG, while cuting funds for arbitrary reasons(we do Not Have a debt crisis), that in turn forces LGs to increase rates which in turn makes them unpopular with voters/rate payers.
A lack of understanding of these dynamics, coupled with Kiwis phobia of government spending means that any CG who proposes long term infrastrucure projects get voted out.
It has NOT always been this way, but when we have myopic (mostly) older generations, AKA: NIMBYs telling us younger grnerations that "it's always been this way" it makes it very difficult to change the inertia of the status quo.
Apologies for the rant. I appreciate your insights.