Is Mayor Parker’s $2 billion housing plan worth it?

Philadelphia City Council is set to vote on Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $2 billion housing plan on Thursday, a key step she says will create and preserve 30,000 affordable housing units through new construction, rehabilitation, and expanded rental assistance.

The project will be funded in part by $800 million in city borrowing, a fact some opposition on council argue is unwise due to other city priorities and potential federal funding cuts. 

After a few contentious days of negotiations last week, Parker’s budget is expected to pass council before lawmakers split for summer recess.

But a larger question remains: Will this initiative effectively address the city’s growing housing affordability problem? Cities around the country have tried rent control, public housing, zoning reform, anti-displacement legislation, land banks and other measures. So, what works and what doesn’t? 

On this hour of Studio 2, we’ll unpack Parker’s housing plan and analyze other solutions.

Guests:

Vincent Reina, professor and faculty director of the Housing Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania 

Rue Landau, vice-chair of the Philadelphia City Council Housing Committee and councilmember 

Aaron Moselle, reporter for WHYY’s Plan Philly