Housing

Report: California Renter Protections Falling Short
New research reveals that the state’s rent cap law is stymied by a lack of transparency and toothless enforcement.

Sacramento Voters to Decide on Using Lawsuits to Reclaim Sidewalks
Measure O may be one of the first ballot measures of its kind to empower residents to take legal action against a city for illegal encampments on city property. The Sacramento City Council voted 7-2 on August 9 to place the ordinance before voters.

How the Drive for Profit Flattens the American Landscape
Mass-market production and the commodification of housing has led to a ‘flattening’ of design into a limited set of bland, homogeneous options.

‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ Movement Wins in Pasadena
Houses of worship in the California city will be allowed to build housing on their properties in an effort to alleviate the city’s housing shortage.

The Vanishing American ‘Starter Home’
Rising land costs, expensive materials, and onerous building and lot size requirements are making it harder to build small, affordable ‘starter homes’ in the United States.

Remote Work a Key Factor in the Rise of Home Prices
The shift to work-from-home policies drove more than 60 percent of the dramatic recent growth in U.S. house prices, according to a Fed study.

Community Land Trusts Make Homeownership Accessible
The organizations sell homes to low-income buyers at rates far below market prices, putting homeownership within reach for more families.

Houston Metro Seeks Proposals for Transit-Oriented Development
The agency will assess ways to more effectively use its surface parking lots and encourage more mixed-use development near transit hubs.

When Taller Buildings Don’t Mean More Density
Some New York City developers are building low-density luxury high-rises that, in some cases, have fewer units than the buildings they replaced.

The Uphill Battle to Build Housing in Austin
NIMBYism in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities contributes to a severe housing shortage and soaring housing costs.

A NIMBY Simulator Pokes Fun at All-Too-Real Issues
A classic game gets a sardonic update for the modern world.

Is it a Rowhouse, or a Rowhome?
Philadelphia has long been acknowledged as the capital of rowhouses in the United States. It’s becoming more common for those rowhouses to be referred to as rowhomes.

How the Yellowstone Floods Laid Bare a Housing Crisis
This year’s historic floods ravaged communities already roiled by spiking housing costs and a shortage of available workforce housing near the nation’s oldest national park.

Where Housing Costs Are Falling Fastest
Although median home prices remain close to record highs in many cities, some of the country’s priciest metro areas are seeing home prices plummet.

A Who’s Who of Bay Area Real Estate
An analysis from the San Francisco Chronicle identifies twelve of the biggest and most influential owners of rental properties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

California Continues its Housing Policy Reinvention
It’s no longer business as usual in California when it comes to planning and developing housing.

Denver Announces Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot
Residents who have experienced homelessness will receive monthly cash payments to help them find and stay in stable, long-term housing.

A New Urban Growth Boundary for Metro Denver
Douglas County’s master plan indicates that areas south of current development will likely remain preserved through conservation initiatives, but the metro area’s booming population indicates that growth will continue to happen, somewhere.

When Transit-Oriented Development Is Missing the ‘Transit’
Cities, residents, and developers have a renewed interest in building more housing near transit stations—when they actually provide safe, reliable transit.

Press ‘Record’ To Catch Fair Housing Violators—If You Can
Fair housing testers often go undercover to expose discriminatory housing practices, but laws prohibiting recording conversations hamper investigations.
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