Despite some transformative changes and brief spikes in domestic migration, the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be exacerbating existing declines in internal mobility.

A new brief from Riordan Frost of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University updates Frost’s prior research on residential migration in the United States, revealing new insights about migration since the start of the pandemic and how it compares to previous trends.
Frost explains that “residential mobility rates have been declining for the past four decades,” and, aside from two spikes in the first year of the pandemic, trends stayed largely the same.
“One finding was that the types of moves and movers that had the steepest mobility rate declines before the pandemic remained the same during the pandemic.” Mobility rates declined across age, race, and ethnicity groups, but households with higher incomes were more likely to move. “Perhaps most notably, rural counties attracted more migrants than usual” as remote work untethered people from cities and high housing costs drove them farther out.
Monthly data allows for more nuanced analysis. “These data reveal that moves spiked twice early in the pandemic before reverting to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021 and falling further throughout 2022. As a result, USPS data show all types of moves—individual, family, permanent, and temporary—were lower in 2022 than before the pandemic.” Interestingly, “there were no mobility spikes during later surges like those associated with the Delta and Omicron variants.”
Frost concludes that “The paradigm-shifting nature of the pandemic makes it difficult to assess whether and how mobility patterns will change in coming years, but there are many factors pointing to a continued decline in mobility rates.”
FULL STORY: MOVING DURING THE PANDEMIC: MASS EXODUS OR MASS INERTIA?

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford to Oversee Amtrak’s High-Speed Rail Efforts
Byford, who formerly ran NYC Transit and Transport for London, could bring renewed vigor to the agency’s plans to expand regional rail in the United States.

Seattle Bus Lane Cameras Capture Over 100,000 Violations
An automated traffic enforcement pilot program caught drivers illegally using transit lanes more than 110,000 times in less than a year.

Immigration Grows, Population Drops in Many U.S. Counties
International immigration to the country’s most populous areas tripled even as major metropolitan areas continued to lose population.

$616 Million in Development Incentives Approved for District Detroit
The “Transformational Brownfield” incentives approved by the Detroit City Council for the $1.5 billion District Detroit still require approval by the state.

Affordable Housing Development Rejected for Lack of Third Staircase in Connecticut
The New Canaan Planning Commission rejected a development proposal, including 31 below-market-rate apartments, for lack of a third staircase, among other reasons, at a time when advocates are pushing to relax two-staircase requirements.
Houston-Galveston Area Council
City of Malibu
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
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.