Inclusionary housing in small towns and rural places: the California experience

Across California, and many other parts of the U.S., cities and counties of all sizes – urban, suburban, and rural – are responding to severe shortages of affordable housing via adoption of inclusionary housing (IH) programs. Also known as inclusionary zoning, IH programs encompass a large variety of policies that share the common element of requiring or encouraging private developers of housing to directly build or facilitate the building of affordable housing for purchase or rent in new single-family home subdivisions and apartment complexes. No two programs are identical.