Security deposits are necessary to protect landlords from risk. But they also create a barrier to affordable housing for many families. Many low income families do not have thousands of dollars for a security deposit. But there’s a solution! Security deposit insurance protects landlords without burdening tenants.

Minimum lot size is a zoning regulation that sets the minimum amount of land required for new development. These requirements vary by county and type of land use in Hawaiʻi. They were invented in the late 1910s to maintain racial segregation in North America. Today, they harm housing affordability, social equality, and environmental sustainability in Hawai‘i.

This brief examines two relatively new types of construction: 3D printed homes and modular homes. It assesses their advantages and disadvantages to see whether they can help to alleviate Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis.