Perspectives: Practitioners Weigh in on Drivers of Rising Housing Construction Costs in San Francisco

In this brief, we present findings from interviews and focus groups with developers, general contractors, architects and nonprofits working to build both affordable and market-rate housing in San Francisco. The brief offers insights into four areas many practitioners on the ground see as the key drivers of rising construction costs in San Francisco, and shares their ideas and perceived opportunities for how to improve the city’s processes and policies to address these drivers and bring down the cost of housing. While these are not the only factors influencing the price of housing in the city, making inroads on streamlining inefficient processes and being clear on priorities for housing design could make a significant dent in reducing construction costs.

Carolina Reid and Hayley Raetz |

Berkley University Terner Center

January 2018

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