HOW DO CITIES ACCELERATE HOUSING? PARTNERSHIPS, LAND BUYING AND ZONING, EXPERTS SAY Source: www.smartcitiesdive.com, Ryan Kushner, Editor, First Published Dec 18th, 2025 Cities must be intentional about housing, a National League of Cities panel said. When Northrop Grumman announced it would expand operations in Utah and bring thousands of new jobs, many considered it a boon for the state. But when the company hired workers from outside the area, it soon became apparent that “we don’t have anywhere to put” them, Clearfield City, Utah, Mayor Mark Shepherd said during a housing accelerator panel at the National League of Cities City Summit 2025, held in Salt Lake City in November. Now the company’s employees are competing with Clearfield City residents for housing, Shepherd said. Housing is as important a part of community infrastructure “as high speed internet, as water, as sewer,” Shepherd said. “If we don’t have it and we don’t build it, we cannot attract jobs. We won’t be able to build that economic base.” How can communities balance the housing needs of both new and longtime residents? It’s all about intentionality, the panelists said. They described approaches including the following. Buy land. For Shepherd, purchasing land is a key piece of the housing puzzle.“If you can own the land, you have a huge stake in the game,” he said. Clearfield City began purchasing land to build smaller multifamily developments, such as townhomes, while leaders promised concerned residents that even greater density would not come to their neighborhoods.“We would be very structured about where we put it,” Shepherd said. Opening Lines 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12
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