Colorado Public Radio investigates the housing market in Denver, noting the revival of apartment building while single family homes and even condos remain at a standstill. Demand for rentals continues to outstrip supply in other cities as well.
The CPR reporter interviews a satisfied new renter in her two-bedroom Denver apartment who was unsuccessful finding a home to buy; an apartment developer - formerly constructing ownership housing, and finance experts on the future of housing construction.
"This project was originally planned as condos. But when the housing market collapsed, David Zucker, president of Zocolo Development went back to the drawing board. Eventually, his financiers looked at all the renters entering the market, and they liked his new idea of retooling the project from 60 condos to more than 200 apartments."
"(F)inancing is available now because demand is outstripping supply, allowing landlords to charge higher rents, explained Greg Benjamin NorthMarq Capital, an investment brokerage firm.
And Denver's not the only place with that reasonable return on cost. Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight, says builders are putting up apartments all across the country. And he thinks that this will be a lasting trend."
"We're going to see more renting, less homeownership, and the recovery that we see in the housing market is going to be one that's characterized more by more apartment construction and less by single family construction", Newport said.
Contributor's Note: Transcript and radio tape available
FULL STORY: Demand For Denver Apartments Outstrips Supply
Builders Look to Growing Home Rental Market
Subdivisions in states across the country are catering to people who want the benefits of living in homes without the burdens of home ownership.
When Large Corporations Buy Homes and Become Landlords
Since the Great Recession, homeownership is down and corporations are taking advantage of the profit opportunities.
Why Millennials Opt to Rent
Sandie Angulo Chen of Trulia discusses the reasons why Millennials prefer to rent homes or apartments instead of buying properties.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie