The financial intricacies involved in building affordable housing can be difficult to understand. This explainer breaks down the foundational concepts.

Affordable housing is hard to build not because of lack of need, but because of how it's financed. This guide explains the basics, including:
- Capital Stack: Projects are funded through a mix of debt and equity, used to cover land, construction, and soft costs.
- The Funding Gap: Affordable rents generate less income, meaning smaller loans—creating a gap that must be filled to make a project viable.
-
Closing the Gap: Developers use a mix of:
- Subsidies (grants, tax credits, vouchers)
- Cost-saving strategies (donated land, fee waivers)
- Lower-cost capital (below-market loans and equity)
- Why It Matters: Understanding these tools helps advocates, policymakers, and funders support more sustainable, equitable housing development.
FULL STORY: Affordable Housing Finance 101

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

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

California Set to Increase Electric Truck Chargers by 25%
The California Transportation Commission approved funding for an additional 500 charging ports for electric trucks along some of the state’s busiest freight corridors.

21 Climate Resilience Projects Cancelled by the EPA
The federal government has pulled funding for at least 21 projects related to farming, food systems, and environmental justice to comply with one of Trump’s early executive orders.

Trump Executive Order on Homelessness Calls for Forced Institutionalization
The order seeks to remove legal precedents and consent decrees that prevent cities from moving unhoused people from the street to treatment centers.
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.
Yukon Government
Caltrans
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Norman, Oklahoma
City of Portland
City of Laramie