Demystifying the systems that shape growth in our city with insights from Strong Towns
Cincinnati is growing.
New investment is flowing into our neighborhoods. Property values are rising. Demand for walkable, vibrant communities is stronger than it has been in decades.
And yet, the public conversation about housing and affordability often feels fragmented, emotional, or disconnected from how decisions are actually made.
Housing debates often default to “for or against development.”
But that framing is too small.
The real questions are:
- Who gets to build?
- What types of housing are allowed?
- How do we grow without pricing out the people who make our city run?
- How do we protect neighborhood character while welcoming new neighbors?
- What tools exist and which ones should we advocate for?
Rethinking Housing with Strong Towns
One of the most influential voices in today’s housing conversation is Strong Towns, a national nonprofit focused on making cities financially resilient and people-centered.
Their housing work and particularly their “Stacked Against Us” podcast series challenges a core assumption in American development: that the only way to grow is through large, high-risk, debt-heavy projects.
1. The Housing Shortage Is Structural
Housing isn’t just expensive because of demand. It’s expensive because zoning codes, financing systems, and development regulations often make it illegal or financially infeasible to build modest, incremental housing, duplexes, triplexes, courtyard apartments, accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
This “missing middle” housing once formed the backbone of walkable neighborhoods. Today, it’s often banned.
2. Small-Scale Developers Are Locked Out
The system favors large developers with access to capital, legal teams, and political influence. Local builders trying to rehab a fourplex or add units to an existing structure face outsized regulatory and financial hurdles.
3. Incremental Growth Is Safer and More Equitable
Instead of mega-projects, Strong Towns advocates for allowing neighborhoods to evolve gradually:
- A single-family home becomes a duplex.
- A vacant lot becomes a small apartment building.
- A commercial corridor adds residential units above storefronts.
Small bets spread risk. They allow local ownership. They build wealth within the community.
4. Affordability Emerges From Supply + Flexibility
When cities allow more types of housing in more places, prices stabilize. When housing is artificially constrained, scarcity drives cost.
Their central insight: affordability isn’t just about subsidies it’s about legalizing incremental, human-scale development.
Cincinnati Organizations Driving Education & Policy
Here are a few local organizations to check out if you want to learn more.
Urban Land Institute Cincinnati
REAL (Real Estate Accelerator Lab) & public programs
- Educational forums on development process
- Networking between planners, developers, and residents
Get involved: https://cincinnati.uli.org/get-involved/real/
Greater Ohio Policy Center
- State-level housing and revitalization policy
- Brownfield redevelopment
- Smart growth and legacy city strategy
Learn more: https://www.greaterohio.org/
LISC Greater Cincinnati
- Affordable housing financing
- Small business support
- Neighborhood revitalization
Learn more: https://www.lisc.org/greater-cincinnati/