Housing

Planning's New Rivalry: Housing Advocates vs. Radical Left
As the YIMBY movement has gained momentum in high-cost cities, advocates for social justice and subsidized housing have taken aim, claiming that YIMBY's pro-development stance aligns them with predatory capitalism and neoliberalism.

On California's Broken Housing Requirement System
Liam Dillon has written the exact article for anyone who has every rolled their eyes at the words "housing element" or Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

L.A. Metro CEO Challenges Trump on Infrastructure Funding
President Trump’s most recent transportation budget is projected to cut transportation spending by 13 percent, potentially undercutting many of Los Angeles' ambitious projects to continue the build-out of a full public transportation system.

Austin's Affordable Housing Stock Shrunk More Than Any Other U.S. Metro
For all the talk of Texas' relatively affordable housing prices, the city of Austin is one of the worst examples of one of the dominant trends in the U.S. real estate market—fewer and fewer options for affordable rental housing.

A Closer Look at the Appeal of the Fastest-Growing City in the U.S.
The "small-town feel" of Conroe, Texas is touted as one of the reason for its quick population growth.

Seattle Tackling Equity Challenges With Global Lens
Seattle is faced with an affordable housing crisis that has led the new Planning & Community Development Director Sam Assefa to look globally for solutions.

Do Members of Congress Need a Housing Stipend?
The cost of living in Washington, D.C. might make it difficult for less wealthy members of Congress to pay rent or mortgages in their home state and the seat of power. Thus, a surprising voice has suggested housing assistance for Congress.

Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink
King County, Washington was once home to a large number of black homeowners, today the county lags far behind the rest of the country.

Who's Mapping Gentrification, and Where?
In these cities, data on gentrification has been compiled to build mapping tools documenting the process. The hope is to identify neighborhoods where low-income residents are at risk of displacement.

McMansion Hell Blog in Legal Hot Water with Real Estate Site Zillow
[Updated June 29, 2017] It's been a mixed bag for viral sensation McMansion Hell. The same day as a feature video by The Washington Post, the news broke that the website is facing potential legal charges from real estate site Zillow.

The State of Affordable Housing
An in-depth feature in Architect magazine surveys the affordable housing landscape and finds architects, planners, and developers trying to find a better way through an inefficient system.
Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials
The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.

Evidence of Softening Rental Markets
According to Joe Cortright, a slowing pace of rent inflation in most large cities in the United States, combined with decreasing rents in many cities, shows how adding supply can help balance the market.

San Diego, Marin County Heading the Opposite Direction on Housing Policy
The mayor of San Diego has acknowledged the ongoing crisis of housing affordability by pushing to make it easier to build housing at higher densities and with less parking. Marin County…not so much.

New Projects to House Homeless in San Jose
The Bay Area is home to a large homeless population, and San Jose is doing more to create resources for the homeless than other cities in the area.

Google to Buy 300 Modular Apartments for Employees
Mountain View is an expensive place to find housing, in part because of Google itself. The tech giant plans to do something about the housing crunch, for its employees at least.

Inclusionary Zoning Proposed for Buffalo—Will it Help or Hurt the Housing Market?
Buffalo is considering policies to support affordable rental housing as demand rises. While inclusionary zoning is controversial everywhere, specific questions about the policy's effectiveness arise in cities with little to no population growth.

Accused of 'Ambush-Style Eviction,' Detroit Land Bank Faces Lawsuit
A lawsuit, allowed to proceed by a Wayne County judge, reveals some of the difficulties of blight removal.

Opponents of Rent Control Claim Victory in Special Election in Bay Area
Voters in Santa Rosa, California rejected a measure that would have retained the rent and eviction control ordinance that the city council had approved lasted August. The referendum was placed on the ballot by the California Apartment Association.

The Affordable Rental Housing Crisis Is Only Getting Worse
The headline from the latest report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies on the state of the nation's housing market focuses on a shrinking, broken rental market.
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