The delayed effects of changes in rent costs make rent inflation a difficult figure to pin down.

Despite the purported “housing recession,” writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic, “rents are at an all-time high—and official rent inflation is still surging.” According to Jeff Tucker, senior economist at Zillow, their annual rent growth index hit 17 percent this year. “Rents have blown up in many of the same metropolitan areas where housing costs have risen, such as Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta; Austin, Texas; and Salt Lake City.”
As Thompson notes, “we’re likely to see official rent inflation continue to rise many months after private markets, such as Zillow, suggest that the worst of it is over.” Thompson explains why demand surged so much in recent years, as well as the “slightly wonkier mystery” of what is actually happening to rent inflation. Changes in rent prices take several months to be reflected in national data, largely because “At any given time, the majority of tenants surveyed by the government are paying rent at a price locked in earlier.”
“The annual inflation rate for new rental listings has almost certainly peaked. But the official CPI [Consumer Price Index] rent-inflation rate is almost certainly going to keep going up for another quarter or more.” In other words, even though rent inflation will likely continue to be a talking point, it may have already reached its highest point.
FULL STORY: Why the rent inflation is so damn high?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie