This issue of Housing Facts & Findings, "Easing the Affordability Crunch: The Inclusionary Housing Option," focuses on local governments' response to the increasing need for affordable housing while the public resources to address this need continue to decline. As housing prices escalate and the federal government retreats, the pressure on state and local government intensifies. Faced with this challenge, many local governments (at times with the help of the state) have turned to inclusionary housing. More than 200 local governments, including large cities, small cities, and suburbs, are making inclusionary housing strategies a central component of their efforts to meet community development needs.

This issue features an article by the mayor of the Village of Palatine, Ill., who talks about how strong messaging and consistent follow-through can help reframe community conversations and correct long-held misperceptions about affordable housing. Another article looks at the way that Madison, Wis.'s new inclusionary zoning ordinance, adopted in late 2003, is changing the way housing development is done in the city.

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