Crawford Alumni Impact Award 2026: Winning Project

The following project has received Natalie and Robert Crawford Alumni Impact Award support.

Advancing Local Solutions to California's Housing Affordability Crisis

Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters

The high cost of housing is a defining policy issue in California, where the housing crisis remains acute. Recent RAND research found that building multifamily housing in California is more than twice as expensive as it is in Texas, with much of the difference driven by state and local policies. RAND's influential report, The High Cost of Producing Multifamily Housing in California: Evidence and Policy Recommendations, has already gained significant attention in the media and among state policymakers, but one actionable finding has received less attention: multifamily housing production costs vary dramatically not just across states, but across California cities themselves.

With support from the Natalie and Robert Crawford Alumni Impact Award, Jason Ward will bring RAND's housing affordability research directly to the local leaders who can act on it. He will hold in-person meetings with mayor's offices, city councils, planning commissions, and key civic stakeholders in major California metro areas. Through direct outreach, tailored materials, and convenings designed to be practical and easy for busy officials to engage with, Ward will connect research findings to policy choices and help cities take a more proactive approach to local housing reforms—with the ultimate goal of making housing more affordable in California communities.