A growing majority of U.S. mayors believe increasing market-rate housing supply is key to addressing affordability challenges, according to a new national survey.
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The 2025 Menino Survey of Mayors, conducted by Boston University Initiative on Cities, found that 75% of respondents agree or strongly agree that expanding market-rate housing can help reduce costs. That marks a notable increase from 60% in 2021, reflecting shifting attitudes among local leaders as housing shortages persist.
At the same time, 80% of mayors reported that their cities lack sufficient multifamily housing, and 82% strongly support building apartments near transit hubs and business centers.
The findings highlight broad consensus around the need to increase housing supply, but less agreement on how to achieve it.
While many mayors support expanding development, opinions are divided on zoning and permitting reforms — often viewed as critical tools to accelerate construction. Only one-third of respondents identified these regulations as the primary driver of high housing costs, and just 48% strongly support allowing multifamily housing by-right across their cities.
“In Austin, we’ve modernized our land use and reduced unnecessary regulation barriers so we can add homes where people most want to live,” said Kirk Watson. “When cities lack supply, it drives up costs and undermines generational wealth. If we believe supply matters, our policies have to reflect it.”
Many mayors also favor administrative changes to streamline development. About 70% strongly support allowing city staff to approve permits, while more than 40% said public meetings can slow or reduce housing production.
Despite support for expanding housing supply, financial constraints remain a significant obstacle. Roughly 40% of mayors cited project financing challenges as a key barrier to development, while about a quarter pointed to community opposition. Only 15% identified zoning and permitting regulations as the primary constraint.
The survey also revealed clear political divides. Among Democratic mayors, 41% identified restrictive zoning and permitting as major contributors to the housing crisis, compared to just 5% of Republican mayors. Support for converting commercial properties into housing was also significantly higher among Democrats, at 80%, versus 25% among Republicans.
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Still, both parties showed strong support for transit-oriented housing, though Democratic mayors expressed higher approval at 91%, compared to 63% among Republicans.
Katherine Levine Einstein, co-author of the survey, noted that while mayors recognize the importance of increasing supply, many remain cautious about implementing politically sensitive reforms.
“Mayors have the power to lead on land use reforms that could unlock the housing supply,” she said, “but many seem hesitant to implement some of the politically thorny policies needed to do so.”
As cities continue to grapple with rising housing costs and limited supply, the survey underscores a central challenge for policymakers: aligning political will, regulatory reform and financial resources to deliver the housing needed to meet demand.
Originally reported by Ryan Kushner, Editor in Smart Cities Dive.
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