New Orleans Housing Report Card: “F” for Affordable Housing

A New Orleans nonprofit has failed the city’s affordable housing efforts for the third year running, citing local agencies’ inability to convert the city’s many underused properties into safe and affordable housing.

1 minute read

October 7, 2022, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Shotgun Homes, New Orleans

Bart Everson / Flickr

The affordable housing crisis in New Orleans earned the city an “F” on HousingNOLA’s report card once again this year, reports David Jones for Fox 8.

HousingNOLA, which was formed in 2014, is a local coalition of residents and non-profits dedicated to solving the issues surrounding the lack of affordable housing in the city. The group issued a 10-year plan, which involves public and private organizations and community leaders working together to solve the city’s housing crisis.

HousingNOLA’s executive director said the city failed “to take basic steps toward creating more affordable housing in New Orleans,” pointing to the city’s many vacant and blighted properties. “Calling New Orleans a ‘non-functioning market’ because of the ample supply of vacant residential units and blighted property yet high housing costs, Morris said the city’s lack of affordable housing has ripple effects on everything from homelessness to crime to Louisiana’s ongoing insurance crisis.”

The city council will soon vote on an ordinance that would boost enforcement of tenant protection laws that bar landlords from letting poor conditions fester. “The legislation would also require basic essentials for a property to be licensed, including running water, AC, properly maintained electrical systems, water heaters, adequate roofs and walls and pest control.”

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 in Fox 8

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

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.