As 2025 winds down, we’re already looking ahead to the new year. Our 2026 work plan is packed with initiatives designed to expand housing knowledge across Virginia. Here’s a first look at what’s coming.

ZONED OUT takes center stage

If you’ve been following our work on the Virginia Zoning Atlas, you know we believe zoning is one of the most consequential—yet least understood—factors shaping housing in our communities. In 2026, we’re taking that mission to the next level with ZONED OUT, a comprehensive education campaign developed in partnership with the Incremental Development Alliance and YIMBY Action.

The campaign features four distinct engagement formats, each designed to meet communities where they are.

• Zoning 101 workshops offer an accessible introduction to zoning fundamentals.
• Zoning Matters sessions explore how zoning intersects with related fields like transportation, economic development, and public health. In other words, why should your community care about zoning?
• Bringing Up Zoning events take a deeper dive into specific zoning issues that keep policymakers up at night.
• ZONED IN symposiums convene expert panels for interactive discussions on zoning reform.

All told, we’re geared up to hold more than twenty ZONED OUT events throughout 2026. That’s a lot of zoning talk—but given its outsized influence on housing affordability, we think it’s warranted.

Interested in bringing ZONED OUT to your community? Submit a request through our interest form.

New tools on the horizon

Data has always been central to our work, and 2026 will see several updates to the resources practitioners rely on.

Our Sourcebook—the go-to platform for Virginia housing data—will have another big refresh. We’ll continue regular data updates while working toward a new feature later in the year: a customizable fact sheet dashboard that lets users generate ready-to-go visualizations tailored to their needs.

We’re also collaborating with Locus and Virginia Housing Alliance on an Affordable Housing Preservation Dashboard. This tool will help users track expiring LIHTC units across the state, supporting preservation efforts before it’s too late. More details to come as development progresses.

And of course, we’ll continue monitoring and updating the Virginia Zoning Atlas as localities adopt major changes to their zoning maps and ordinances.

Research across the Commonwealth

Regional housing needs assessments remain a core part of our work—and 2026 will bring three new studies to different corners of Virginia.

We’re currently leading a study for the Crater Planning District Commission, with a special focus on the intersection of housing and health. In the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission area, we’re partnering with the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech to support stakeholder engagement and develop custom policy solutions. And for the Commonwealth Regional Council, we’re teaming up with Summit Design and Engineering Services on detailed housing market analysis.

These projects do more than generate reports. They build relationships in communities that often lack dedicated housing research capacity, and they help local leaders make the case for action.

Resources for policymakers

Later in 2026, we’ll begin developing a State and Local Housing Policy Roadmap—a practical guide featuring evidence-based best practices for housing solutions at both levels of government. Consider it a field guide for anyone wondering, “What actually works?”

Staying connected

Beyond these initiatives, we’ll continue doing what we do: fielding speaking requests, supporting partners with data analysis, maintaining our research library, and connecting stakeholders with the knowledge and resources they need.

It’s shaping up to be a full year. We’re grateful to have you along for the ride.