[eixample]

You love to see this but is a $5 billion fund of incentives even close to enough? Is whatever piece of $5 billion that would be parceled out to each locale really going to be enough to convince Lower Merion Township (rich suburban municipality right next to Philadelphia border) to change their zoning code to allow more small apartment buildings?

What you'd like to see is zoning reform tied to the real federal pot of gold - funding for roads. I really think something could be done if the Congressional Black Caucus and social justice aligned democrats really pushed for it. Some republicans would naturally be in favor of this kind of action if targeted at the right areas - expensive cities and suburbs that are trending blue anyway. Encouraging more development within city cores would discourage sprawl into redder exurb areas.