Housing

Racial Disparity in Home Lending Is Today's Redlining
According to a new report detailing discriminatory lending in Chicago, people in majority-white neighborhoods continue to receive more loans, and in greater amounts, than people in majority-Black and majority-Latino areas.

Advocates Push for Policy Reform to Overcome History of Discriminatory Deed Covenants
The debate about police reform in Minneapolis is only one arena for the city's reckoning with systemic racism.

Renters Falling Behind, Survey Says
New survey data from Massachusetts finds massive housing market stress as more and more renters falling behind on payments.

Housing Programs on the Chopping Block in Philadelphia
The city of Philadelphia is facing a $649 million budget shortfall, and Mayor Jim Kenney is proposing to cut deeply from the city's housing budget to make up the difference.

The Housing Market During COVID-19: Supply Dips, Prices Rise
While fewer houses are being bought and sold in the first months of the pandemic, prices are on the rise as buyers find less supply available on the market.

Budget Crunch Threatens California's Climate Resilience Plans
Facing a massive budget due to the declining revenues created by the coronavirus pandemic, California will have to cut a program intended to retrofit homes and roofs as a protection against wildfire, among other climate resilience programs.

Silver Spring Downtown Plan Expanding to Make Room for the Missing Middle
Planners are hoping that by expanding the boundaries of the Silver Spring Downtown Plan in Montgomery County, Maryland, new opportunities for missing middle housing will create new opportunities for housing affordability.

The Singapore Exception
Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were credited early in the pandemic with having successfully contained the coronavirus without resorting to lockdowns. However, Singapore lost its standing in that elite group. Crowding vs. density may explain why.

Connecting the Dots Between Planning and Policing
The newest issue the Journal of Planning and Education Research responds to a clear need of the time: the need to address social justice in the public realm while reforming planning practices in the United States.

The Looming Eviction Crisis
Of all the nightmare scenarios that became possible when the coronavirus hit the shores of the United States, the possibility of massive evictions and a rental market failure seems to have averted the worst possible outcomes. That could still change.

Laying the Groundwork for Cheaper Multi-Family Housing Construction
The processes of clearing land, building foundations, and making space for parking are three of the most expensive components of the construction process. Zoning can help reduce the costs to deliver more affordable housing supply.

Poverty Concentrating in Already High-Poverty Neighborhoods
A pair of reports analyzing U.S. Census Bureau poverty data from the last two decades show that high-poverty neighborhoods have become further impoverished.

Overcrowded Housing Connected to Coronavirus Infection
"This is a housing disease."

UCLA Report Raises Housing Crisis Alarm to L.A. Officials
A new UCLA report predicts a grim future for renters in Los Angeles. The report, the first issue published in a new journal dedicated to housing and the coronavirus, spells out what government officials must do to offset and prevent further damage.

The Legacy of Redlining Made Clear by the Coronavirus
Covid-19 deaths track closely to the discriminatory boundaries set by housing lenders, sponsored by the government, in the 20th century.

Code Enforcement as Coronavirus Response Policy
The Center for Community progress offers advice on effective code enforcement during a time of extreme economic duress.

The Argument Against Accessory Dwelling Units
Facing the potential for accessory dwelling units to win swift legalization in Chicago inspires one columnist to push back.

Housing Relief Targets Multi-Family Property Owners in Chicago
The Emergency Relief for Affordable Multifamily Properties Program is designed to keep multi-family property owners from entering default.

California's Population Might Be Peaking
Heretofore, the question was never if, but when, the nation's most populous state would reach 40 million.

Proposed Mass Timber High-Rise In Seattle Adds Six Stories
A proposal for the development of a mass timber high-rise in First Hill is under community review in Seattle. The project, which adjusted plans to add an additional 6 floors, proposes the tallest mass timber building in Seattle.
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