Housing

South of Market

11,000 Housing Units Possible with S.F. Office Conversions, Study Says

A new study by SPUR and the Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco chapter estimates a specific number of apartment units that could be built from vacant office units in the city.

March 29, 2023 - The San Francisco Chronicle

California

California Attorney General Wants to Get Serious About Housing

A bill sponsored by the AG’s office would give the state’s top attorney more power to intervene in lawsuits related to the state’s housing laws.

March 29, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Traffic

Atlanta Housing Targets 10,000 Affordable Units in Five Years

Atlanta Housing plans to use a combination of development and preservation to ensure 10,000 affordable housing units in the next five years.

March 29, 2023 - SaportaReport

Two white two-story Sears Roebuck catalog homes in Tuscumbia, Alabama

The Return of ‘Catalog Homes’

Sets of pre-approved housing plans can lower construction costs, shorten timelines, and encourage more badly needed housing production.

March 29, 2023 - Route Fifty

Illinois State Capitol dome and city in Springfield, Illinois

Illinois Legislature to Consider Affordable Housing Tax Credit

A proposed tax credit could create thousands of new affordable housing units per year, its proponents say.

March 28, 2023 - The Real Deal

Houston, Texas

Houston Mayor Rebukes Housing Authority on Tax Break Deals

The mayor sternly denounced the city’s housing authority for going forward with tax break deals that critics say don’t bring enough new affordable housing to the city and reduce tax revenue for local schools and utilities.

March 28, 2023 - Houston Chronicle

Apartment building under construction with other new apartment buildings and taller glass office towers in background in Dallas, Texas

Report Calls for ‘Sustained and Significant’ Investments in Affordable Housing

The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual report highlights the shortage of affordable and available housing units for low-income households.

March 27, 2023 - Spectrum News 1

Aerial view at dusk of UC Berkeley campus with tall tower in foreground and San Francisco Bay in the background

Opinion: How California’s Environmental Law Empowers NIMBYs

Critics of a new provision calling “social noise” an environmental impact say the law can too easily be co-opted by anti-housing groups to block new development.

March 27, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Aerial view of gold Colorado state capitol building with green park and city beyond

Colorado Governor Wants to Preempt Local Zoning Control

Colorado could be the latest state, following Oregon and California, to legislate statewide preemption of local zoning codes to allow for more housing development.

March 27, 2023 - CPR News

New York Apartments

What Is the Housing Choice Voucher Program?

Federal housing assistance vouchers subsidize the cost of rental housing, but high demand and long waiting lists mean many low-income families wait for years to access affordable housing.

March 27, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

"For Rent" sign in yard of red building

Rent Increases Highest for Lowest-Income Households

Renters at the lower end of the spectrum see no relief in sight as rent hikes remain stubbornly high.

March 26, 2023 - Marketplace

Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge

Panel: Minneapolis Zoning Updates Should Reflect Mixed-Use Future

A discussion of post-pandemic changes in work and commuting concluded that the city’s overhaul of its zoning code should be less restrictive with land uses.

March 24, 2023 - MinnPost

Large historic homes and white picket fences line a street.

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

March 23, 2023 - The Washington Post

A light rail train waits at the Downtown Long Beach station with a sign that reads “Long Beach” to declare its route to riders.

Long Beach Residents Oppose Proposed Homeless Services Hub Near Rail Terminus

L.A. Metro’s “end-of-the-line” policy forces people experiencing homeless off transit every night at the same time and location. A proposed hub would provide services a few stops before the end of the line in Long Beach.

March 22, 2023 - Long Beach Post

An aerial view of the Anchorage metropolitan area shows sprawling development surrounded by tall mountains.

With New ADU Rules, Anchorage Leading U.S. Zoning Reform Efforts

Anchorage recently passed a package of laws that will allow accessory dwelling units in commercial and residential zones, and, in a rare move, on residential lots with existing multi-family housing.

March 22, 2023 - Sightline Institute

Pedestrian stoplight with green 'walk' silhouette lit up and blurry city buildings in background

Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Rates of Pedestrian Deaths, Study Says

The consequences of historic redlining continue to have consequences in the present day United States. Add another example to the list.

March 22, 2023 - Streetsblog USA

Chandler Tiny Home Village in North Hollywood, California

California Pledges to Provide 1,200 ‘Tiny Homes’ for Unhoused Residents

Critics of the plan say the effort is a drop in the bucket in a state where tens of thousands of people experience homelessness every night.

March 21, 2023 - Cap Radio

View of downtown Dallas skyline at night with tall tower lined with green lights

Dallas Ahead of the Game in Adaptive Reuse

Thanks in part to a state tax credit created in the early 2000s, downtown Dallas is set to create roughly 1,500 new housing units by converting office buildings to residential uses.

March 21, 2023 - Dallas Business Journal

Buildings on Wall Street, New York City

The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for Office Conversion

A formula for the ideal office-to-housing candidate.

March 21, 2023 - Fast Company

Dilapidated vacant wood slat house painted white in Louisiana

The Quiet Housing Crisis in Rural America

While housing shortages in major cities are grabbing headlines, rural communities are seeing higher rates of growth in housing prices and a silently spreading homelessness crisis.

March 20, 2023 - The Daily Yonder

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

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