Housing

Breaking: HUD Will Rewrite Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will rewrite the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule approved by the Obama administration in 2015. HUD Secretary Ben Carson says the rule is "suffocating" affordable housing development.

Denver to Raise Sales Tax on Marijuana to Double Funds for Affordable Housing
As Denver continues to grow, the cost of housing in the city remains high for many. In response, the city plans to build 6,000 affordable units over the next five years.

Housing Construction Slows to a Crawl in Seattle's Suburbs
Seattle's suburbs are no longer leading the region in housing construction, even as Seattle's urban core is building more housing than ever.

Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan Focuses on People, Not Cars
Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan is "among the more ambitious long-term urban planning projects in American cities," this article. Released in 2015, the plan's work is not done.

Lack of Affordable Housing Could Stunt New York's Economic Growth
Concern about the city's supply of affordable housing is one of the key messages from the recent "geography of Jobs" report published by the New York Department of City Planning.

Massachusetts Could Be Next to Tax Short-Term Rentals
Legislation on the verge of approval in Massachusetts would enact a linkage fee, in effect, that would generate revenue for funding affordable housing.

Federal Reserve: New Supply Won't Lower Housing Prices in Expensive Markets
"Prices will march on as they have," even if regulations relax to allow more housing supply in the market, according to a recent study by the Federal Reserve.

More Federal Legislation to Tackle Housing Affordability Proposed
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has introduced legislation that would tie federal funding to pro-development policies at the local level.
Vacant Land Languishes in the High-Priced Market of Oakland, California
Oakland property prices have gone way up, but vacant land can be found all over the city. Hayley Raetz argues getting development on this land should be a policy priority.

NYC Planning Director Marissa Lago Touts Regional Planning
Marisa Lago pens in an opinion piece supporting a regional approach to planning, timed for the release of a new "Geography of Jobs" report.

'Move to Buffalo' Is No Excuse
One common argument against building new housing in high cost cities is that people priced out of those cities can always move somewhere cheaper. This post responds to that claim.

Why L.A.'s Boyle Heights Matters to Anti-Gentrification Activists
The historically Latino working class neighborhood is a frequent touchstone in debates over gentrification in Los Angeles. That history goes back decades and colors residents' perceptions.

Montgomery County, Maryland Updates Inclusionary Housing Requirements
New rules will require more affordable housing in affluent areas, but also allow more exceptions.

Affordability Trade-offs
Strategies for increasing affordability often involved trade-offs between various goals and impacts. It is important to consider all of these factors when evaluating potential solutions to unaffordability.

Construction Versus Conservation: A Local Case Study
In Washington D.C., ZIP code 20003 is split into two distinct areas: fiercely preserved Capitol Hill and the construction-heavy Capitol Riverfront. But where are rents skyrocketing, and what factors go into that equation?

HUD Took a Strong Stance Against Local Control and Hardly Anyone Noticed
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development devoted an entire issue of a quarterly newsletter to land use regulations and the idea that local laws are strangling the nation's supply of affordable housing.

Debating a Renters' Tax Credit at the Federal Level
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) recently proposed legislation that would create a refundable tax credit for qualifying rental households.

How to Shrink the Racial Homeownership Gap
Following reports that Black Americans owned homes in 2017 than in 1983, banker Teri Williams offers recommendations to diversify homeownership across the United States.

Not All Affordable Housing Shortages Are Alike
The city of Philadelphia shows that not all affordability crises are created with the same mix of supply and demand.

Cheap Rent Could be Another Casualty of the Trade War
Trump’s tariffs on steel and other building materials are driving up building costs slowing development and pushing up rents.
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