Housing

Vancouver Affordable Housing Programs Could Be the Envy of the Continent
It will take a combination of local, provincial, and federal funding, but Vancouver, B.C. recently approved the most ambitious vision anywhere in North America to directly address homelessness and housing affordability challenges.

Tiny House Movement Arrives in Omaha
A tiny house village has been approved for a location in Downtown Omaha. When complete, the new homes will provide stability and shelter for the formerly unhoused.

Las Vegas Golf Course With a History of Development Controversy Cleared for Houses
A golf course formerly owned by "legendary sports bettor-turned-convicted insider trader" Billy Walters finally has the residential zoning that created so much controversy in the past.

The State of the Market for Second Homes, Prior to the Pandemic
Half of the nation's second homes are found in nine states, according to recent data analysis by the National Association of Home Builders, and building is likely to increase in vacation areas soon, according to one expert.

Fort Worth Plans Big Moves to Rebrand Near Southside
Fort Worth business owners plan to promote the Near Southside area as a hub for artists and entrepreneurs.

First Look: Zoning Changes Proposed to Implement Minneapolis' Landmark Comp Plan
A plan is only as good as its implementation, and so the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan needs the right zoning code to achieve its lofty goals.

Mayoral Veto Kills Controversial Philadelphia Downzoning
The mayor, planning staff, and the Philadelphia Planning Commission agree. The Philadelphia City Council and residents of the wealthy neighborhood of Society Hill, not so much.

Two New Affordable Housing Towers Offer a Side of Climate Resilience in Queens
Two new buildings are under construction at Hunters Point South and will contain 719 units of affordable housing.

Florida Real Estate Market Sounds Climate Alarms
New research suggests that real estate values were declining before prices started falling, but a climate-driven housing crisis could already be here in coastal Florida.

Rezoning Every Residential Neighborhood in Cambridge for Affordable Apartment Buildings
Cambridge, Massachusetts has opened all residential neighborhoods to the development of apartments buildings with 100 percent affordable units. It might be the most "sweeping attack on elitist and racist single family zoning" in the country.

Another Rent Control Initiative on the Ballot in California
There are significant differences between Proposition 21, a statewide rent control measure on the ballot in California, compared to a similar measure defeated soundly by voters in 2018.

'Permit Ready Plans' for ADUs Published in Stockton, California
Cities looking to provide incentive for the construction of accessory dwelling units are increasingly released "permit ready plans" to help the cause.

Do We Know Any More About the Future of Cities Than We Did in April 2020?
The conversation about how the pandemic might alter the direction of planning and urbanism, unlike the spread of the coronavirus, has remained steady since March.

How Engagement and Design Won Over Wary Neighbors
Despite opposition from the neighborhood, a low-income housing community was built in an upscale subdivision in California. How did developers make it happen?

Planning Age-Friendly Cities
Manchester researchers are part of a network of European cities collaborating on strategies to support the aging population in cities worldwide.

Flood Risk Upends the North Carolina Housing Market
Inequalities in the housing market of coastal North Carolina communities have already been exacerbated by the effects of extreme weather and climate change.

Questions in Calculating California's Housing Needs
As California moves to hold local governments accountable for housing production goals, a report finds a 900,000-unit discrepancy. Offered here is the Embarcadero Institute's response to criticism received regarding the report's conclusions.

On the Ballot in Alameda: The End of Single-Family Zoning
Voters in Alameda, a city of nearly 80,000 people on an island in the East San Francisco Bay Area, will vote to end a prohibition on multi-family housing that has been in place since 1973.

A Pro-Development Approach to Housing Affordability and Economic Growth
Decades of building housing on the fringes of metropolitan areas have mired the United States in a housing affordability crisis defined by a widening gap between the haves and the have nots.

Can L.A. Accomplish Affordability with 'Housing Plus, Plus, Plus'?
Alfred Fraijo Jr., partner at Sheppard Mullin, shares frustration with what he sees as a state inaction on housing and L.A.'s legacy of piecemeal planning and outdated zoning.
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