More and more Americans fear they won’t be able to afford housing.
Voters around the country are calling on their elected representatives to pass policies that will end the housing crisis and bring housing costs down.
“A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll in May found voters rated the scarcity and cost of housing as their second-most important economic worry, after fears of stagnating income and rising prices,” write Moira Warburton and Makini Brice in an article for Reuters.
Home prices rose about 50 percent over the last five years, while rents increased by around 35 percent. “While family incomes have risen, housing costs and inflation-driven increases in the prices of food and other essentials have erased those gains. Some families live in fear they will not be able to keep a roof over their heads.”
At the federal level, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin is proposing a tax on investors who own more than 15 single-family homes, with revenue going to affordable housing. Other efforts to expand tax credits for affordable housing are stalled in Congress.
FULL STORY: US voters press Congress candidates to fix housing crisis
Miami-Dade County Housing Market in ‘Crisis’ as Rents Soar
The county’s mayor has declared housing affordability a crisis as costs in South Florida cities rise by as much as 30 percent.
Study Links Medical Debt to 44% Higher Risk of Housing Instability
People with medical debts are more likely to have trouble paying rent or face eviction.
Number of Young Adults Living at Home Jumps 6.3% in 10 Years
High housing costs are driving more people under 35 to move back in with their parents, in many cases delaying other milestones like marriage and children.
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.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
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