Voters approved a bond measure that includes up to $10 million for creating a public housing entity.
Rhode Island state leaders are considering using public funds for affordable housing development after voters approved a $120 million housing bond that includes $10 million for public housing development.
As Jared Brey explains in Governing, “While it’s not clear exactly how the program will work, or even whether it will happen, advocates have been pushing for the state to create a public development entity similar to one used in Montgomery County, Maryland. There, the county invests directly in mixed-income housing projects, and instead of profiting off the market-rate units, it uses the income to subsidize reduced rents for lower-income people and reinvests its equity in other projects.”
More cities and states are experimenting with funding models that can support affordable housing even in the absence of federal assistance (President-elect Trump has proposed further cuts to housing vouchers and other federal assistance programs).
As the pandemic exacerbated the housing crisis, Rhode Island put more funding into affordable housing, investing $330 million in American Rescue Act dollars in housing programs. However, this only produced roughly 1,500 new housing units, signaling the inefficiency of the existing development system. Proponents of a state development entity suggest it could help direct state funds more effectively to mixed-income developments.
FULL STORY: Rhode Island Could Create a 'Public Developer' to Address Housing Crisis
How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years
The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
The YIGBY Movement: Unlocking Church-Owned Land for Affordable Housing
As the housing crisis deepens, interest in faith-based development is spreading across the country. How do YIGBY zoning laws work, where are they being implemented or introduced, and what could it mean for communities and churches?
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Tenant Advocates: Rent Gouging Rampant After LA Wildfires
The Rent Brigade says it's found evidence of thousands of likely instances of rent gouging. In some cases, the landlords accused of exploiting the fires had made campaign donations to those responsible for enforcement.
Seattle’s Upzoning Plan is Ambitious, Light on Details
The city passed a ‘bare-bones’ framework to comply with state housing laws that paves the way for more middle housing, but the debate over how and where to build is just getting started.
DOJ Seeks to End USDOT Affirmative Action Program
The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program encouraged contracting with minority- and women-owned businesses in the transportation sector, where these groups are vastly underrepresented.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada