Housing

Lawsuit Contests End of of Single-Family Zoning in Alexandria
The legal challenge is the latest filed against similar zoning reform efforts around the country.

What Drives the High Cost of Affordable Housing
A combination of ineffective funding mechanisms, strict building regulations, and inflation are pushing per-unit construction costs higher.

Let's Get Some Things Straight: ADA in America
The Planning Commission Podcast: Exploring Universal Design

Analysis: Zoning as a Hurdle to Affordability in Virginia
Overly restrictive zoning regulations have stifled the housing supply and driven up rents across the Commonwealth.

Connecticut Housing Advocates Call for Zoning Reform
A new report highlights a growing affordability crisis, calling for state-level zoning changes and renter protections.

Portland Warming Shelters Close Despite Persistent Cold
Advocates say using an arbitrary temperature cutoff to open and close winter shelters ignores the reality of cold weather risks.

A New Housing Affordability Hurdle: Property Taxes
Skyrocketing home values are driving up property tax bills, putting lower-income homeowners at risk of losing their homes.

San Diego Church Breaks Ground on Housing Project
The 25-unit development is part of a growing ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement to build housing on properties owned by faith-based organizations.

Preserving Affordable Housing Through Existing Stock
As the cost of building new housing rises, mechanisms that support the purchase of existing housing by local governments and housing authorities can help mitigate the housing crisis and create affordable housing faster than new construction.

Los Angeles Looks to Preserve Affordable Housing
The maintenance of existing affordable housing units often falls through the cracks as funding programs target new construction.

Richmond Program Promotes Black Homeownership
Economic Mobility and Black Homeownership Pilot identified barriers to homeownership and provides homebuyers with down payment assistance and counseling.

How Houston Keeps Housing Affordable
The city’s limited land use regulations have kept housing costs relatively low, but government intervention is still needed to provide housing to the lowest-income residents.

Washington House Passes Lot Splitting Bill
Residential properties can now be split, with certain restrictions, into multiple lots to spur more housing development.

A Framework for Effective Transit-Oriented Development
Six principles for building vibrant, accessible communities with a focus on sustainable transportation.

State-Level Land Use Reform Gains Strength
More state legislatures are considering stricter land use and zoning regulations as a solution to the housing crisis. Some local jurisdictions are pushing back.

Boston Zoning Commission to Consider ‘Squares and Streets’ Plan
The proposal would reduce barriers to the development of denser housing.

Supreme Court to Reconsider Martin v. Boise
The justices agreed to hear an appeal from the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, of a 2022 U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that has the potential to loosen restrictions on how nine Western states deal with tent encampments on public property.

Portland Council to Consider Zoning Amendments
The proposed zoning and land use changes would offer bigger incentives for developers of ‘moderately priced’ housing and relax some restrictions that builders say drive up the cost of construction.

LA ‘Mansion Tax’ Yielding Less Revenue Than Predicted
The tax on property sales above $5 million has brought in less revenue last year than experts projected, but the measure could still become a significant contributor to affordable housing funds.

UC Berkeley Says Supportive Housing ‘Inseparable’ Part of People’s Park Project
The park remains closed to the public as a court weighs a decision on the university’s proposed housing development.
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