Affordable Housing

Vancouver Magazine takes a look at the many ways people create their own housing solutions outside the norm, from mortgage sharing to garage renovations to illegal units.

In Boston, architecture firm Utile and non-profit developer Urban Edge bring a new, stylish look to affordable housing.

In this op-ed, a builders association representative argues that proposals for inclusionary zoning laws in Minnesota that require a certain percentage of affordable housing do not achieve the goals they aim for.

In the same week that Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, Los Angeles announcemed the New Generation Fund, a $100 million program for affordable housing.

Professor Sudhir Venkatesh of Columbia believe it is time for HUD to be replaced by a more nimble agency capable of responding to the 21st century city.

Residents of Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood are complaining about plans to redevelop nearby Fort Lawton which includes housing for seniors and homeless.

Nassau County, NY has released a plan to end homelessness using strategies such as developing a database to track homeless people, assist people at risk for homelessness with landlord/mortgage issues, and build significant new affordable housing.

Almost 200 New Jersey mayors have joined together to oppose new affordable housing requirements that they say their cities can't possibly comply with.

The Chicago Tribune examines what became of an ambitious city project, led by Mayor Daley, to revolutionize public housing. Private developers received public funding to tear down old projects and replace them with mixed-use neighborhoods.

In a move to combat the growing numbers of foreclosed homes and provide affordable housing, Fairfax County, Virginia, has announced plans to buy up foreclosed properties to augment the county's supply of affordable homes.

A developer in New Jersey is looking to shipping containers as building blocks for affordable housing.

San Francisco's rapid loss of low and middle-income residents is taking a toll on the city's social fabric.

The Vermont legislature passed a bill that encourages residential construction in village and town centers by offering tax credits and reducing permitting requirements. 20% of the homes and rental units must be affordable.

Students in Ohio State University's City and Regional Planning department worked closely with the Franklinton neighborhood in Columbus to create a new vision for the community.

Requiring all cities and towns to building affordable housing is bad policy. The focus should be on building housing in existing urban areas near jobs and transit, not in rural and suburban towns.

New Jersey struggles to develop fair rules on affordable housing. "The whole thing is madness at this point," says a Sussex County administrator.

Hoping to head off a competing ballot measure, Miami-based developer Lennar Corp. has voluntarily agreed to set aside 3,200 of the planned 10,000 homes on San Francisco's Hunters and Candlestick Point for low- and moderate-income families.

An influential Vancouver Realtor has proposed a density bonus scheme that he says would get developers to provide more housing affordable to first-time buyers.

Massachusetts wants to require affordable housing developers to pay construction workers a "prevailing wage", but with costs already totaling $200,000 or more per unit, the proposal may ultimately decrease the amount of affordable housing built.

The Federal Reserve has announced plans to help community non-profits to acquire foreclosed homes for use as affordable housing.