What would it take to make housing more affordable?

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that the city is "in the midst of an affordable housing crisis."

Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender is trying to put a stop to that crisis through inclusionary zoning. The idea is that when developers are planning a new project, they are required to devote some of that space to affordable units.

Evan Roberts, who teaches sociology at the University of Minnesota, agrees that affordable housing is an important mission. However, he said that inclusionary zoning can function as more of a bandage than a full-fledged solution.

MPR News host Kerri Miller began the hour by speaking with Roberts and Bender about inclusionary zoning policies in Minnesota before turning to two New Yorkers about how the policies have worked in their state.

WNYC reporter Jessica Gould and Mark Willis of NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy joined Miller to discuss the common struggles facing the Twin Cities and New York city.

Use the audio player above to listen to the discussion.