Housing

Texas Homes

True Affordability: Critiquing the International Housing Affordability Survey

The International Housing Affordability Survey is biased in ways that make urban-fringe housing seem more affordable and infill seem less affordable. Anybody who uses this analysis should be warned.

March 12, 2018 - Todd Litman

Los Angeles Skyline with houses

California Spends $6.5 Billion on Homeowner Subsidies, 15 Times Less on Renters

A new report from the California Housing Partnership "revealed a wide gap between state support for homeowners and renters."

March 12, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Minneapolis Draft Comprehensive Plan Would Allow Fourplexes in Single-Family Neighborhoods

If the rezoning of single-family neighborhoods succeeds in Minneapolis as part of its ongoing Comprehensive Plan process, we could be looking at one of the most ambitious pro-development zoning schemes in the country.

March 12, 2018 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Trump Campaign

HUD Changing Mission

Although it's unclear if the change is final, it's been widely reported that leadership at the U.S. Department of Housing and Development is pushing to remove wording about racial discrimination from the organization's mission statement.

March 10, 2018 - The Huffington Post

A Map of the Country's Black Homeownership Gap

None of the top 100 American cities in African American population offers inclusive homeownership rates.

March 10, 2018 - Urban Institute

Erskine Fire

In California, Policies Spur Rebuilding in the Wildland-Urban Interface

After the worst wildfire season ever, changes to local land use and state insurance rules essentially ensure that the same thing will happen again.

March 9, 2018 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Metro Gold LIne

L.A.'s Mayor Garcetti Sides With Single-Family Housing Near Transit

Politicians are taking positions on a controversial California housing bill to densify by transit. Even after amendments were accepted on March 1 in response to concerns about displacement and demolitions, the mayor of Los Angeles remains opposed.

March 9, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

Downtown Boise

Housing Affordability Challenges Visit Idaho

Boise and surrounding cities are going to need new housing to meet the demand of tens of thousands of new residents in the coming years.

March 9, 2018 - Idaho Business Review

Homeless Cars

A Man's Truck Is His Palace?

In a move to grant further autonomy and rights to the homeless population of Seattle, a court found in favor of a man who argued his truck was his home and should not have been towed after he didn't move for 72 hours.

March 8, 2018 - The Seattle Times

Las Vegas Homeless Encampment to Become Permanent

The city of Las Vegas is buying land on Foremaster Lane and making it legal for homeless residents to camp there.

March 8, 2018 - Next City

True Affordability: Critiquing the International Housing Affordability Survey

The International Housing Affordability Survey rates affordability in selected urban regions. Although presented as objective research, the IHAS is actually propaganda. Users of this information should be warned about its biases

March 8, 2018 - True Affordability. Critiquing the International Housing Affordability Survey

New York Skyline Fisheye

Study Analyses the Airbnb Effect in the New York City Housing Market

Less "sharing economy" and more normal economy for New York City in New York City, according to the findings of a recent study.

March 7, 2018 - CityLab

HUD

More Reports of Trouble at the Top of HUD

Another in a string of detailed exposés on the working conditions and policy agenda of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the leadership of Secretary Ben Carson.

March 6, 2018 - The New York Times

Oregon

The Other Affordable Housing Trend in Oregon: Construction Excise Taxes

Inclusionary zoning hasn't helped as much as the state of Oregon was hoping when it passed a law to lift restrictions on the policy in 2016. Construction excise taxes could be the next policy to catch on around the state.

March 5, 2018 - Mail Tribune

Homeless Person

Austin Proposes Using Blockchain Technology to Help Its Homeless

The city wants to give its 7,000 citizens without permanent homes "[u]nique digital identifiers" to help them get reliable access to services.

March 5, 2018 - Quartz

California State Capital

Amendments Proposed for California's Landmark Pro-Housing Development Legislation

Amendments are circulating for one of the most-closely watched, and passionately debated, pieces of housing legislation in the country.

March 5, 2018 - Medium

Washington D.C.

What Old Building Isn't Historic?

David Alpert argues for a more rigorous definition for what is not historic. Without one, developers and property owners have no way to know what buildings can't or won't be given the designation.

March 5, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

For Rent

The 7 Myths of Rent Control

The public perception of rent control has been dominated by apartment owner-funded studies and messaging for decades, fostering misconceptions about it's impact, according to poverty law attorney Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi.

March 4, 2018 - UrbDeZine

Jerry Brown

California Housing Battles Pit Older Liberals Against Younger Progressives

It's the old left, many home-owning seniors, against the younger left, many renter millennials when it comes to housing, according to an NBC report that looks at the local political dynamics underpinning the expensive California housing market.

March 4, 2018 - NBC News

Harvey Floods Houston

After Harvey, Texas Tries State-Run Disaster Relief, With Mixed Results

The scale of the housing recovery effort means some jobs normally handles by FEMA have fallen to the Texas General Land Office.

March 3, 2018 - Texas Tribune

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.