Zoning deregulation seems to be having a strong impact on rent prices in some of the nation’s largest cities.
Pro-housing policies seem to be having an impact in some of the largest U.S. cities, with rent prices finally seeing drops after years of growth, reports Tosin Akintola in Reason.
“The data from Five Star Cash Offer supports recent reports from online real estate brokerages Redfin and Realtor, which detail a decline in rent prices across some of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States.” Cities with the sharpest drops in rent prices include Sarasota, Florida, with a 42.67 percent drop between January 2024 and January 2025; Providence, Rhode Island, with a 19.22 percent drop; and Minneapolis, with a 11.14 percent drop.
While experts attribute much of the decline in rent costs to zoning reform, “other factors could be at play. Florida has been struck in recent years by Hurricanes Ian and Milton, and higher flood insurance premiums could be forcing some homeowners—especially those with second homes—to sell, creating a surplus of available housing.” But in cities like Austin and Minneapolis, zoning deregulation has played a major role in making housing construction more affordable.
FULL STORY: Rent Prices Are Falling Fast in America's Most Pro-Housing Cities
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association