Dive Brief:

• San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer tweeted that he will bring a proposal before city council to allow more combined live-work spaces in certain neighborhoods. Residents are already allowed to live where they work in parts of the city, but this proposal would nearly double the amount of land zoned for live-work spaces.
• The goal is to increase the housing supply and help the environment by reducing or eliminating workers' need to commute.
• The city council is scheduled to debate the measure in March.

Dive Insight: 

California has long been known for statewide and municipal environmental efforts that sometimes appear excessive, but often end up leading the country in similar efforts. It's a huge state that has an economy larger than that of many countries, and at 39.5 million residents it's by far the most populated. As such, it is a significant contributor to the country's emissions and climate change woes.

San Diego's move to create more live-work spaces is the latest measure coming out of California to reduce emissions. It's a different approach to getting people off the roads during peak times and encouraging people to reduce single-rider trips.

Affordable housing is a growing problem across the country, and it's even more pronounced in big cities, especially in California. The state consistently has multiple cities scattered throughout top lists of the most expensive places to live in America. San Diego itself usually appears at least in the top 20, if not the top 10, depending on the list.

Tight housing supply frequently goes together with affordability, and many California cities are considered to be falling behind in both, according to a new report. The state has passed legislation to spur more affordable housing developments, as well as legislation proposed last month to ease housing construction restrictions and mandate more housing density near transit hubs.

Cities also are starting to put a greater focus on affordability and increasing housing capacity. San Diego, like many other California cities, is bounded by the Pacific Ocean, which restricts its ability to simply expand into undeveloped territory to create more housing. The live-work space proposal is a lesser used way to increase housing supply, while simultaneously offering environmental benefits and convenience for residents. It's one of about a dozen initiatives Mayor Faulconer has undertaken in the past year to combat the housing crisis.