Thanks in part to an influx of remote workers, the Montana town faces soaring housing costs and practically non-existent vacancy rates.

When Montana State University decided to reallocate its family and graduate student housing to undergraduates, they may have dealt a fatal blow to what one professor calls "Bozeman's only racially diverse neighborhood." The university-owned housing, writes Surya Milner in High Country News, was home to "custodians, researchers and tenure-track professors at the university," many of whom are now forced to relocate to more expensive housing in other parts of the city—or leave the city altogether.
Although the housing crisis in small, recreation-dependent towns predates the pandemic, "the recent influx of remote workers to towns like Bozeman has only exacerbated it." The Human Resource Development Council, a local nonprofit organization, is helping some of the displaced residents find affordable housing, a difficult task in a city with a rental vacancy rate of almost 0%.
"MSU’s vice president of university communications, Tracy Ellig, said that the decision to evict the current residents was not made lightly. Rather, he said, it was made for the benefit of the students, who are the university’s first priority." With the university's enrollment steadily rising, "more students and recent graduates are spilling into an already-strained housing market." Students like Anaya Paschal, president of MSU's Black Student Union, worry that losing the affordable university-owned housing will "be detrimental to the BIPOC community in Bozeman" and drive people of color away from the city.
FULL STORY: Bozeman’s sole multicultural enclave faces evictions amid a housing crisis

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living
Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

California Moves to Limit Autonomous Trucks
A bill passed by the State Assembly and moving on to the Senate would require autonomous semi trucks to have a trained human operator in the vehicle.

Minnesota Budget Includes Significant Transit Investments
After a contentious debate, the state legislature passed a budget that changes how transportation projects are funded and supports increased transit service in the state.

Proposed Land Value Tax Plan in Detroit
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan proposes hiking property taxes for vacant land and buildings while lowering the rate for occupied homes and businesses in a split tax plan he contends will resolve many of Detroit's blight and high property tax woes.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.