Requiring all cities and towns to building affordable housing is bad policy. The focus should be on building housing in existing urban areas near jobs and transit, not in rural and suburban towns.
"The conflict between two competing and legitimate needs - low- and moderate-income housing and breathing room - is a national problem. Anyone who drives into rural areas of Pennsylvania, New York and other northeastern states is struck by the number of houses mushrooming on what just a few years ago were huge stretches of farmland.
Under New Jersey's plan, which could take effect in October, one unit of affordable housing would have to be built for every five units of market-rate housing. The current required ratio is one for every eight. Commercial developers, meanwhile, would be required to provide one new affordable housing unit for every 16 jobs generated by commercial development. Both requirements could go a long way toward meeting the state's need for at least 115,000 new affordable housing units.
The downside is that the rules will put more pressure on rural towns to build housing: assigning them an "obligation" for new affordable units within their borders. That makes little economic sense. Many small towns offer no real job opportunities and no public transportation to places where the jobs exist."
FULL STORY: Affordable Housing, at a Price

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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