Building more homes takes cooperation long before construction begins. Before a new home can welcome its first residents, local rules must allow it, infrastructure must support it, and financing must make it possible. Each step involves different people and decisions. Bringing those people together around a shared goal is essential to building the communities Americans want.
This issue of On Common Ground explores how partnerships are helping communities address housing challenges through smart growth. With housing costs and availability putting pressure on households across the country, we examine how REALTORS® and their community partners are working together to turn housing goals into practical solutions.
Understanding what people want gives that work direction. NAR’s 2026 Community & Transportation Preferences Survey offers insight into Americans’ interest in walkable neighborhoods and housing choices that balance affordability with convenient access to everyday destinations. Those findings offer a starting point for collaboration: How can communities work together to make these preferences attainable for more people?
The articles that follow explore the partnerships needed to answer that question. We consider the ROAD to Housing Act through a local lens, examining how federal housing efforts connect to decisions made by communities. We also look at the cooperation behind zoning reforms that make room for smaller lots and a wider range of housing types, including how planners and builders can help ensure new rules work in practice.
Some opportunities begin by bringing new partners into the housing conversation. School districts control buildings and land that may offer possibilities for new homes, but putting those properties to use requires coordination with municipal governments and development partners. Infrastructure presents a related challenge. Early collaboration with utilities and public works officials can help communities plan for additional capacity and direct housing toward places where services already exist.
Even when communities make room for more housing, financing remains a critical partnership challenge. We explore how lenders and nonprofit organizations can help address barriers to purchasing modestly priced homes and repairing older properties. These efforts can preserve existing housing while opening paths to homeownership.
Throughout the issue, REALTORS® help connect the people whose decisions shape housing opportunities. Our “Take Action” feature looks at how associations are using research and bringing partners together to help communities move projects forward. Their experiences offer readers a place to begin: identify a local housing challenge, find the people needed to address it and start building a working partnership.