Housing is dominating American mayoral races

The big picture: Mayoral hopefuls in cities from Richmond, Virginia, to San Diego have pledged to blunt the high cost of housing by allowing denser construction, even as some of those proposals have sparked local backlash.

Between the lines: Certain regulatory hurdles that curb homebuilding are easier tackled in city halls and state legislatures than from the White House.

• "The most obvious way that states and localities can address housing needs is through zoning and land use policies," says Aniket Mehrotra of the Urban Institute's Housing Finance Policy Center.

Yes, but: Government tinkering is not a quick fix for the challenges plaguing the housing market — elevated interest rates and steep construction costs are also slowing new construction.

"This is an orchestra of changes that needs to happen," Mehrotra tells Axios.

• "States and localities have a unique role to play in that orchestra."

Zoom in: Even as housing prices have cooled in Austin, Texas, affordability remains a key issue in the city's mayoral race.

• Mayor Kirk Watson, who is seeking reelection, has pointed to his ambitious easing of home construction restrictions, as well as his attempt to streamline Austin's development services bureaucracy.

Two of his top opponents, Kathie Tovo and Carmen Llanes Pulido, have countered that those changes won't lead to more affordable housing.

• Tovo instead wants to expand a loan program to help lower-income property owners construct backyard apartments.
• (Similar pushes to ease construction of accessory dwelling units have also become popular in city halls in places including Richmond, San Diego and San Antonio.)

In San Francisco, housing policy proposals are likely to decide the outcome of a crowded and contentious mayoral race that includes incumbent London Breed.

• Candidates have expressed differing opinions on whether environmental laws are restricting development, whether the city should ban new high-rise buildings in historic districts and whether rent caps should be expanded.

Raleigh, North Carolina's top mayoral candidates both list housing as a top platform issue and are campaigning to increase affordable housing through more density.

In San Diego, more than half of voters cite housing costs as the city's biggest problem, double the next answer: the interrelated homelessness crisis.

• Mayor Todd Gloria's reelection campaign is touting his efforts to boost homebuilding, while his opponent, Larry Turner, has said there is no housing shortage, instead blaming affordability on real estate speculators.

Threat level: In places where cities and states have already allowed for denser housing in single-family neighborhoods, homeowners have, at times, resisted.

Case in point: A rapid rise in population and home prices in Raleigh prompted outgoing Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin in 2021 to champion looser zoning rules for neighborhoods.

• Since then, thousands of new units received permits that otherwise would not have — but the policy drew pushback, and the next city council will probably make changes in response.
• Many of the permitted units have not yet been built.

What we're watching: As experts estimate the U.S. needs millions more homes, city hall housing debates are not going away anytime soon.

• Some are already brewing in next year's mayoral races.

Axios' Asher Price, Shawna Chen, Zachery Eanes, Andrew Keatts, Karri Peifer and Megan Stringer contributed reporting.