Downzoning and building height restrictions have kept supply well behind demand in New York City, according to this article.

"There are currently about 59,000 New Yorkers staying in homeless shelters and several thousand more sleeping on the streets, figures that fluctuate seasonally," Ben Adler writes for City and State New York. Others would rent but are forced to stay with friends and family because they cannot afford the city's high rates. "Add it all up, and New York City’s homeless rate is the highest it has been since the Great Depression, even as the national economy verges on full employment," Adler writes.
Rents have risen twice as fast as wages in the city since the recession. And competition is fierce at the low end of the rent scale. Besides the problem of scarcity driving the prices of affordable homes, there's simply not enough cheaper housing for all the people who would rent it. "The major increase in homelessness is among people who simply lack a place to live and wind up in a homeless shelter. In May, there were 15,023 families, with 22,538 children, sleeping each night in New York City’s municipal shelters, according to the Coalition for the Homeless," Adler reports.
While New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has done some work to allow for more homes near transit, Midtown New York has imposed new height restrictions. Adler argues that this process of treading water on housing production is exacerbating the New York's homelessness issue.
FULL STORY: Homelessness is a housing problem

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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