Households that are given affordable housing have more money to spend, which can bring more money into the economy, according to a new study from the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
Amanda Fung writes, "The study found that the use of federal low-income housing tax credits is crucial to building and rehabilitating affordable housing, and to helping inner city neighborhoods. By paying affordable rent-monthly rents averaging $500-families were able to more than double their discretionary income, which in turn allowed them to pay for health care, reduce their debt or put money into savings."
FULL STORY: Affordable housing pays off for city
Large projects near Austin's light rail must include affordable housing
Elsewhere in the city, developers can pay into a city bank account for affordable housing rather than providing the required affordable units within their projects.
91% of Utah renters can’t enter the homebuying market
Homeownership in Utah has dropped to historic lows, despite improvements in the number of affordable rentals on the market.
As prices skyrocket, San Francisco Mayor declares rent emergency
Landlords in San Francisco have initiated over 2,400 evictions since January, putting the city on track to see more evictions this year than during any year in the past decade.
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.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
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.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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