Building more housing near transit can improve housing affordability and boost ridership on struggling systems.

A proposed federal law would promote transit-oriented development and prioritize funding for jurisdictions that adopt ‘pro-housing policies’ such as eliminating parking minimums and clearing the way for multifamily construction by reducing minimum lot sizes and raising height limits.
As M. Nolan Gray explains in Bloomberg CityLab, the Build More Housing Near Transit Act of 2023 is designed to promote growth and density in areas near light rail and other transit lines by altering scoring measures for the federal New Starts grant program. “Rapid transit depends on dense clusters of housing and jobs near stations to draw in riders. Yet according to research by Ian Carlton, of MapCraft and ECOnorthwest, just over a third of the 412 transit stations funded through New Starts since 2009 were built in areas with half the prevailing regional density — typically around eight dwelling units per acre.”
Tying transit and housing more closely together would bring benefits for both. “With ridership still below pre-pandemic levels in many US cities, such transit-oriented development isn’t just important for housing affordability — it could also lock in many hundreds of thousands of new riders, bailing out cash-strapped transit agencies.”
FULL STORY: Want More Transit (and Federal Funding)? Build Housing That Supports It

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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