Housing

The 'Goldilocks' Problem of Housing Supply
All over the country, housing markets are faced with too much supply, too little supply, and just the right of supply.

A Transit-Oriented Parking Reform Proposal in San Diego
Under a new plan proposed by the mayor of San Diego, new developments in transit-rich parts of the city would no longer require parking.

Pittsburgh's New Housing Opportunity Fund in Action
The city of Pittsburgh has a new resource for funding affordable housing projects.

Proposed Law Would Empower Section 8 Voucher Users
A law under consideration in San Jose would prohibit landlords from disallowing Section 8 voucher users, though landlords could still turn away renters based on other criteria.

Oregon to Consider Statewide Ban of Single-Family Zoning
Legislation in Oregon would follow the lead of Minneapolis in overturning single-family zoning—for all cities in the state with more than 10,000 residents.

Gas Stations, Other Car-Centric Uses Banned From Transit-Oriented Areas in Sacramento
The city of Sacramento has implemented one of the most aggressively transit-oriented land use regulation schemes in the country.

D.C. Council Chooses Commercial Property Tax Breaks Over Homeless Funding
Carolyn Gallaher, an associate professor at American University, makes the case for local political leadership to better support Washington, D.C.'s homeless population. The D.C. Council has been focusing its resources elsewhere.

L.A. Adopts Strict Short-Term Rental Regulations
The Los Angeles City Council approved significant new regulation of short-term rentals, available on platforms like Airbnb, earlier this week.

Thresholds of Rent Affordability Trigger Homelessness
New research reveals details of when and where rising rents trigger homelessness.
Tiny Houses for the Homeless Planned for San Jose
The Bay Area's most populated city is taking a small step to house its homeless population.

Seattle Needs More Housing Diversity and Less Single-Family Zoning
The city should look back to its past for lessons about creating more livable, affordable, and equitable neighborhoods, says a new report.

HUD's Spotty Record on Inspections
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is desperately in need of reform in its system of inspections and enforcement of living conditions in public housing.

Thoughts on California's Housing Strategy
Balance between state and local control and between private and public solutions are necessary for meaningful improvement in housing affordability, according to planning activist and affordable housing developer Murtaza Baxamusa.

Suburbs Encouraging Accessory Dwelling Units
Renton, a suburb of Seattle dealing with skyrocketing housing prices like many of the communities in the region, is allowing new density in residential neighborhoods in the form of backyard cottages.

The Front Porch: A Space of Deep Meaning for African-Americans
Much more than just an extension of a house, the porch has long been a place of safety, intimacy, and communality.

That's Mixed-Use: Housing on Top of a Bus Yard
San Francisco could try a new trick to help kill two birds with one stone.

Judge Upholds Seattle's Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, Clears the Way for Upzoning
Since a city judge determined the legality of the long controversial Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, Seattle has been able to move forward with the plan to allow new density around the city.

How Residential Architecture Got So Cookie Cutter
While it's fun to tease about the architectural shortcomings of most newly constructed urban residential buildings in the United States, the causes of its ubiquitous sameness reveals the depths of the country's housing crisis.

New Orleans Wants to Loosen Zoning Restrictions in the Lower 9th Ward
New Orleans could make it easier to build new homes on small lots in the struggling Lower 9th Ward.

The Affordable Housing Game Has Changed in Oregon
There are a lot of financial, and legal, reasons to get the rethink the city of Portland's approach to affordable housing funding.
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