Housing

New Jersey Affordable Housing Law Turns 50
The Mount Laurel Doctrine tasks each city and town with creating enough affordable housing to meet their needs, but half a century after its passage, the law still faces opposition in some parts of the state.

Shaping LA’s Future: Public Voting Opens for LA2050 Grants
The LA2050 Grants Challenge invites Angelenos to vote on the top issues facing Los Angeles, helping direct $3 million in funding to organizations working to build a more connected and resilient region.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Preserving Houston’s ‘Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing’
Unsubsidized, low-cost rental housing is a significant source of affordable housing for Houston households, but the supply is declining as units fall into disrepair or are redeveloped into more expensive units.

Community-Led Efforts to Combat Gentrification in Philadelphia’s University City
How residents came together to fight for housing equity.

San Francisco Announces Plan to Overhaul Homelessness Strategy
Mayor Lurie’s three-phase plan promises 1,500 new shelter beds and a restructuring of outreach teams and supportive service programs.

$5 Billion Rental Assistance Fund Set to Run Out of Cash
“No additional funding from HUD will be forthcoming,” HUD announces.

Denver Could Eliminate Parking Requirements
The city could remove parking mandates citywide to reduce the cost of housing construction and ease permitting for new projects.

Surf’s Upcycling: Hawai‘i’s Latest Green Building Material is Recycled Surf Boards
“Surf Blocks” are fire-resistant, termite-proof, and close the loop on mountains of waste from the state’s beloved sport.

Building Age-Friendly Homes
Designing for the unique needs of elderly people can help them maintain social connections and mental acuity.

Louisville Launches ‘Anti-Displacement Tool’
After a years-long, tenant-led effort, Louisville will use a new tool to analyze whether a proposed housing development can meet a neighborhood’s housing needs and income levels. If it doesn’t, the city won’t subsidize it.

California Bill Aims to Boost TOD
A bill proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener would exempt transit agencies from zoning rules near ‘high-quality’ transit stops and allow denser transit-oriented development.

The YIGBY Movement: Unlocking Church-Owned Land for Affordable Housing
As the housing crisis deepens, interest in faith-based development is spreading across the country. How do YIGBY zoning laws work, where are they being implemented or introduced, and what could it mean for communities and churches?

What Makes Rent ‘Fair’
Should monthly charges be pegged to the cost of financing, developing, and operating housing, or to household income? Or are there other ways to design how rent is calculated?

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

Low-Income Columbus Households Struggle to Find Housing
The Ohio city has a more severe affordable housing crisis than more traditionally expensive cities like New York and San Francisco.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

Washington State May Cap Rent Increases at 7 Percent
House Bill 1217 was passed by the House and will move next to the state Senate.

Alaska Considers “Homeless Bill of Rights”
The proposed bill builds on laws enacted by Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Illinois.
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