Identifying Solutions for Wake County’s Housing Shortage
December 4, 2025 at Junction West, Raleigh
Approximately 150 people attended WakeUP’s 2025 Annual Reception in December to learn more about strategies for repairing our broken housing system. Keynote speaker Dr. Jenny Schuetz outlined the structural causes of the housing shortage in the United States. Her presentation emphasized how long-standing land-use rules, regulatory barriers, and local decision-making processes constrain housing supply and drive up costs. Dr. Schuetz then focused on emerging state and local solutions to these challenges.
Effectively addressing housing affordability will require sustained, coordinated action at the local and regional level. Dr. Schuetz identified two broad types of regulatory reform that can enable more housing supply:
Make it easier to build homes of all shapes and sizes.
Make the development process shorter, simpler, and more transparent.
RaleighForward and CITYBUILDER partnered with WakeUP to coordinate this event. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our generous sponsors, Honorary Chair Senator Jay Chaudhuri, Dr. Jenny Schuetz, and the folks at Junction West for their support.
Many thanks to our generous sponsors, Honorary Chair Senator Jay Chaudhuri, Keynote Speaker Dr. Jenny Schuetz, and Junction West.