The Expert Is In
Housing Collaborative Collective expertS
Ben Metcalf
TERNER HOUSING INNOVATION LABS
Terner Housing Innovation Labs, Inc. (Terner Labs) is an independent 501c3 organization that was formed to advance the applied innovation work of UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation, specifically in the areas of business incubation, data and analysis, and housing construction techniques. The Terner Labs team has a depth of experience in understanding the nexus between policy choices and housing production. Terner Labs’ mission is to formulate and advance bold strategies to house families from all walks of life in vibrant, sustainable, and affordable homes and communities.
Terner Labs brings knowledge of the principles and technical support of built environment planning, design, and land-use strategies including a specific eye to data-driven policymaking. Our team embraces a unique data-oriented approach to land use planning to inform policymakers’ decisions in a range of areas related to existing conditions and best practices, land use, and zoning recommendations, streamlining the approval processes, and site feasibility and feasibility assessment studies. specializes in assisting local governments in assessing the cumulative impact that policy changes may have on impeding or accelerating housing production across a jurisdiction or other geographic area. In particular, we provide housing policy assessment tools that can be used to educate community members and to inform policymakers’ decisions.
Rick Jacobus
STREET LEVEL ADVISORS
Street Level Advisors is a strategy and innovation firm focused on equitable urban development. Principal Rick Jacobus has more than 25 years of experience supporting low-income communities and communities of color in crafting economic development and housing strategies that strengthen neighborhoods and prevent displacement. Rick is the author of Inclusionary Housing: Creating and Maintaining Equitable Communities, which has been called the ‘go to’ guide to inclusionary housing policy design. He has worked with America’s largest cities to craft inclusive housing policies. Recent clients include San Francisco, San Jose, Minneapolis, Honolulu, Seattle, Atlanta, and Denver. He has guided the formation of nearly a dozen community land trusts throughout the country. Rick writes regularly for Shelterforce magazine.
Rick was the founder of Cornerstone Partnership, a national initiative to support local housing policies that create lasting affordability, and he now serves as a strategic advisor to its successor Grounded Solutions Network. Rick served as an F.B. Heron Foundation Joint Practice Fellow where he researched business models for the collection of social impact data. He was previously a partner in Burlington Associates in Community Development and a visiting fellow at the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy. He has also served as a lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley and as a senior program officer for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
Matt Goyne
FEHR & PEERS
Fehr & Peers recognizes how different vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is from conventional transportation engineering approaches and we know the transition to VMT can be challenging, especially within the context of adapting to state housing mandates. Fehr & Peers has developed extensive guidance for local jurisdictions to consider as they make the transition to VMT (see more here) and has completed or is currently helping over 100 local jurisdictions across the state make this transition. Many of the ongoing SB 743 implementation projects require balancing the VMT reduction goals of SB 743 with RHNA allocations through careful consideration of how VMT can influence the siting and type of housing that could be built in the future. Fehr & Peers has also developed a range of state of the practice tools for agencies such as the EPA and California Air Pollution Control Officers Association that more accurately predict the travel behaviors of residents in different contexts compared to traditional transportation engineering methods. Fehr & Peers will leverage this wealth of content and tools to help local communities make informed decisions around VMT and other transportation planning issues during the local housing element process.
Many communities are interested in understanding whether planning decisions will create equitable outcomes for their diverse communities. Accessibility metrics are often critical to evaluating whether policy decisions, land use plans, or transportation infrastructure will reduce or enhance transportation equity in a community. Fehr & Peers can assist with measuring accessibility for selected populations, such as accessibility to jobs or other amenities and the availability of off-peak transit service to serve those working non-traditional working hours. Identifying populations for an equity analysis is a community-specific decision determined through community engagement and a community may choose to analyze outcomes by specific racial or ethnic groups, income, age, education level, gender, unhoused individuals, persons with disabilities, or groups with limited English proficiency (LEP).