Housing
Local, State Governments Creating Obstacles for Institutional Investors on the Housing Market
Large Wall Street investors are increasing their footprint in the housing market, like they did after the Great Recession, and some local and state governments are inventing new ways to prevent these institutional investors from cornering the market.
What Is a Non-Conforming Use?
A non-conforming use is an existing building that would not be built under current land use regulations. While esoteric, the term is nonetheless critical to understanding the changes in development regulations over time.
What’s at the Root of Homelessness? A Lack of Affordable Housing
Despite the common belief that drug abuse and mental illness are some of the main factors that cause people to become unhoused, a new book concludes that high housing costs and low availability, more than anything else, push people into homelessness.
Aspen Imposes New Limits on Short-Term Rentals as Housing Prices Soar
The Aspen City Council hopes the stricter regulations on short-term rentals and new home construction will stem the astronomical rise of housing costs in the mountain town.
Rents Likely To Stay High as Home Sales Market Cools
The Fed’s recent decision to raise interest rates is causing a slowdown in the housing market, but rents are poised to remain high as demand for rental housing continues to outpace supply.
St. Paul Landlords Raising Utility Costs To Circumvent Rent Control
After the city passed a rent stabilization ordinance, landlords are reworking leases to include new utility charges, effectively raising rents by as much as 14 percent.
Charlotte To Consider Fines for Housing Voucher Discrimination
A proposed policy would fine landlords who refuse to rent to voucher recipients, calling it “source of income discrimination.”
California Density Law Didn’t Kill the Single-Family Neighborhood
After the passage of a contentious zoning reform law that encourages ‘light infill’ in single-family neighborhoods, few California households have submitted applications to build extra units, largely due to onerous restrictions imposed by local laws.
Pittsburgh’s Downtown Office Buildings Could Soon Become Housing
The city is proposing a $2.1 million boost to state and county efforts aimed at converting office buildings to affordable workforce housing.
The Case for a ‘Zoning Czar’
Federal oversight of zoning reforms could coordinate efforts across agencies and shoulder some of the political backlash to local zoning changes.
Almost 36,000 California Households Got Eviction Notices Last Year
Despite efforts to implement rental assistance programs and eviction moratoriums during the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of California households were served eviction notices last year, with more falling behind on rent payments.
Transit-Oriented Walking Tours Highlight the Value of Density
Housing advocates in Connecticut are leading walking tours that fight misinformation about transit-oriented development and emphasize the benefits of increased density.
Whitefish ADU Ordinance Could Ease Housing Crunch
Recently approved revisions to the city’s accessory dwelling unit regulations prioritize long-term rentals to increase housing affordability for local renters.
Tucson Development Boom Threatens Displacement of Longtime Residents
Median rent in Tucson rose by 30 percent since a year ago, prompting fears of displacement among many residents struggling to afford housing.
Vancouver’s Controversial Broadway Plan Approved With Amendments
A plan to add new significant amounts of housing, shifting development south into a “second downtown” around the future SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension, has been approved in Vancouver.
Opinion: Accessory Dwelling Units Will Benefit San Antonio
As the city considers loosening regulations on accessory dwelling units, one writer argues that the reforms would boost affordable housing and provide more options for changing household needs.
A New Life for the Suburban Office Park?
With more and more employers downsizing and moving to areas with more urban amenities, large suburban office parks offer an opportunity for increased density and mixed-use development.
Help! Not Police! Crisis Responses That Avert Police Calls
Cities, court systems, citizen groups, and affordable housing operators are crafting ways of responding to emergencies that reduce the risk of negative police interactions.
Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan
President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.
San Francisco to Reconsider Inclusionary Zoning as Development Slows to a Crawl
Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
