To combat displacement, Glendale authorized a new ordinance requiring that landlords offer year-long leases to existing tenants and capping rent hikes.

Rents in Glendale may go up next year, but there's good news for some renters. After contentious arguments, the Glendale City Council agreed to a new ordinance to grant new rights to renters. "Now, after a two-month rent freeze, the city council has approved an ordinance that requires landlords to offer existing tenants an additional one-year lease on their apartments, rather than defaulting to a month-to-month agreement, and to pay for relocation costs if they plan to raise the rent by more than 7 percent," Jared Brey writes for Next City.
While landlords complain this regulation creates an unnecessary burden, tenant’s rights groups complain the law doesn't go far enough. "The policy that the Tenants Union drafted would have capped rent increases at 4 percent per year and established a rental review board to oversee enforcement of tenancy laws," Brey writes. The city had previously considered rent control before arriving at this right-to-lease policy.
FULL STORY: This California City Now Guarantees All Tenants a ‘Right-to-Lease’

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Over 71K Office-to-Apartment Units in the Pipeline for 2025
Adaptive reuse projects are continuing to bring thousands of new housing units onto the market as demand for office space remains low.

How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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