Rising costs and an aging housing stock are squeezing rural households, with the impacts felt unevenly across ages and ethnicities.
A report from the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) outlines the housing issues faced by rural Americans, who are experiencing sharp increases in housing costs and other factors that make housing affordability a more pressing issue than in past decades. Lia Kvatum describes the report in The Daily Yonder, noting that “Housing costs have increased dramatically over the last few decades, and the Covid-19 pandemic only exacerbated the problem.”
While the homeownership rate in rural areas is higher than the national average, this doesn’t hold across all demographics. Meanwhile, “One quarter of all rural households spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing. More than 40% of those are renters.” And “While rents in rural areas are typically lower than in urban and suburban areas, more than half of rural renters live below the poverty line, making market rate rents—even in rural areas—beyond their reach.” Rural housing stock is also often older, requiring expensive energy efficiency and safety retrofits.
FULL STORY: A Half-Century of Rural Housing: Report Looks at Central Role of Housing in Community Resiliency
Where 2024 Presidential Candidates Stand on 12 Issues Important to Urban Planners
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Amtrak Expanding Service in California’s Central Valley
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Progressive Planning in Ideologically Conservative Communities
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Denver Voters Approve Downtown Revitalization Bonds
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Seattle Has No Plans to Ditch Parking Requirements
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Future of Public Lands Looks Litigious Under Trump
Experts say monuments and “unappropriated” federal lands will likely be the target for expanded drilling, mining, and other development under a new Trump administration.
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.
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