Boise and surrounding cities are going to need new housing to meet the demand of tens of thousands of new residents in the coming years.
Sharon Fisher reports from Boise, where officials are sounding alarms about the cost of housing.
"Much-needed workers are turning down jobs in Burley because they can’t find affordable housing nearby, says Jan Rogers, chief executive officer for Regional Economic Development for Eastern Idaho." Rogers spoke this week at the Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development in Boise, where the concern over the region's housing prices were echoed by other speakers as well.
"Unprecedented" in-migration is pressuring the real estate market in Idaho, according to Fisher. "Boise Mayor Dave Bieter said he expects to see 50,000 new Boiseans in the next 20 years. That means 20,000 new homes, or 1,000 new housing units a year." While discussing some of the tough political choices the city will have to make while faced with the growth, Mayor Bieter offered up this memorable soundbite: "The only thing people hate more than sprawl is density."
Read the full story: Panel: Affordable housing is critical to economic development
Texas Could Have the Nation’s 3 Largest Cities by 2100. Are They Ready to Embrace Density?
Houston, Dallas, and Austin are growing fast. The old sprawl model is no longer sustainable.
Different Approaches to Fast Growth in Idaho's Treasure Valley
Three cities on the periphery of the fast-growing Treasure Valley showcase different approaches to a sudden influx of newcomers.
Census Data Reveal Increasing Density in the U.S.—Reversing a Two-Decade Trend
The New York Times is calling 2010 to 2020 the "Downtown Decade."
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority