The Metropolitan Council, which is the policymaking body for the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, unveiled its Imagine 2050 plan early last year. Imagine 2050 is a regional development guide for the next 30 years, including plans for land, transportation, water, housing, and parks and trails.

The 2050 Housing Policy Plan was adopted this February. The plan has seven objectives: fair housing and geographic choice, options to own and rent, stability, quality, cultural connection and well-being, equity, and environmental justice.

The proposal encourages higher-density housing in cities located in the outer suburbs and increases affordable housing opportunities. This includes various grants and funding opportunities, building code updates to encourage the construction of needed homes, requiring local plans to take local need for affordable homes into account, requiring local governments to identify ways they will create and maintain needed housing units, comprehensive data tracking, and developing a credit system for cities that have already successfully met affordable housing goals.

The 2050 Housing Policy Plan builds on the 2040 Housing Policy Plan, which was adopted more than a decade ago. While this proposal was somewhat successful in increasing housing production, more must be done in the region. The 2050 Plan focuses not just on building housing but building housing that meets the needs of residents.

With a 75,000-home shortage in the Twin Cities metro alone and changing demographics, creative solutions are needed to get more homes that meet the needs of residents built at prices that they can afford. Nearly 60% of U.S. households are only one or two people, contributing to a changing housing landscape. With guidance from the 2050 Plan, cities must be willing to adapt so that builders can effectively and efficiently meet the needs of all Minnesotans.