Housing

Portland State Invests $3 Million to Study Homelessness and Smart Cities
Two new research hubs will explore the intersections between homelessness, technology, and urban planning.

San Jose Proposes Turning Schools into Teacher Housing, Faces Outcry
A San Jose Unified School District plan to relocate several schools and build affordable housing in their place has sparked controversy. The district says teachers increasingly can't afford to live in the area.

A Year After Harvey, Homes Still Going Up on Houston Flood Plain
Despite the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, builders and buyers alike are sustaining a market for new construction on land likely to get flooded again.

Is Residual Income a Better Metric for Housing Affordability?
The common metric for measuring housing affordability—whether households pay more than 30 percent of their income on shelter—has its downsides. Looking at residual income offers more precision in some respects.

City's Opposition to BART TOD Bill Factors into City Manager's Retirement
Steven Falk, city manager for 22 years of the East Bay enclave of Lafayette, expressed frustration with the city's resistance to infill development, calling it incompatible with addressing "the most significant challenges of our time."

California's Housing Package, One Year Later
It's too early to gauge the long-term effects of California's housing package signed a year ago. But with a $4 billion bond on the ballot this November, some facts (and some dramas) have already made themselves known.

Op-Ed: Portland Should Fully Commit to Earthquake Preparedness
An editorial calls for Portland, Oregon to approve a requirement that warning signs be placed on unreinforced historic buildings. An argument is made for further measures, and a greater sense of urgency.

Closure of Tiny House Village in Seattle Prompts Concern
Meant to serve chronically homeless people, the Licton Springs tiny house village has been controversial from the start. It's uncertain whether enough permanent housing exists to resettle all residents.

Seattle to Use Surplus Public Land for Affordable Housing
New municipal and state laws have made it possible for Seattle to sell excess land to affordable housing developers at below-market rates, or even to give it away.

Community-Based Planning: A Case Study
When neighborhoods are allowed to plan and zone without considering the regionwide interest in increasing housing stock, scarcity results.

Not All of San Diego's Inclusionary Zoning Funds Going to Affordable Housing
San Diego finds itself having to explain how its inclusionary zoning program spending diverged from expectations.

15 Cities, 1 Mission: Build More Housing
A coalition of 15 cities in the Boston area agreed to rapidly build new housing to relieve pressure on the regional housing market.

Amazon's First Forays Into Homebuilding Are Worth Watching
A new player with a very familiar name has entered into the residential homebuilding market.

Two Sides of the California Rent Control Debate, in Silicon Valley and Beyond
In California, rent control continues to be a hotly contested issue at both the local and state levels.

Proposed Density Bonus Program Evolves in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is sweetening the deal in a proposal that would offer developers density bonuses if they send money to the city's Housing Trust Fund.

A New, Renter-Friendly Politics Emerges
There are signs that politicians at every level are responding to the concerns of renters like never before. If only renter-friendly housing policies were matters of simple consensus.

Waiving Development Fees to Spur Apartment Construction
One way to increase housing supply is to make it cheaper to building multi-family housing, like Toronto recently decided to do.

San Francisco’s Housing Woes: How the Past Informs the Present
A zoning history dating back to the 19th century still has significant impacts on the city’s housing in the present day.

In Detroit, Continuing the Legacy of Land Banks
While the Detroit Land Bank has had its ups and downs, it has made significant progress in a city with no shortage of vacant and delinquent properties.

California Gas Tax Supporters Get Good News from Latest Voter Survey
In a turnaround from prior voter surveys, a poll released Wednesday on November propositions found a slim majority of voters opposed to repealing the state's first legislative gas tax increase since 1989. Rent control opponents received good news too
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