“Milwaukee continues to be one of the most segregated cities in the country,” writes Teig Whaley-Smith in an opinion piece for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. To solve this, the city needs policy changes like the proposed “Growing MKE” package of zoning changes that would allow additional housing types.

According to Whaley-Smith, “The policy changes proposed in Growing MKE take a big step forward on three issues that need to be addressed.” These are inventory, neighborhood selection and displacement. Despite federal fair housing policies, exemption rules that prevent the construction of duplexes and other multifamily buildings remain in place in many neighborhoods today.

The proposal would expand areas where homes and apartment buildings can be built, including commercial corridors. “Growing MKE is a policy change that will eliminate most of the 1950s exclusionary zoning regulations. This plan will allow more homeownership and rental housing to be available in every corner of the city by providing incremental increases in the amount of inventory that can be built to alleviate the housing shortage.”