The narrative about the full recovery of the real estate market from the housing market crash of 2008 is only true in some parts of the country. In fact, an increasing number of homeowners owe more than their homes are worth.
"Despite an overall housing recovery, it’s suddenly becoming more common in several of the nation’s largest cities for homeowners to owe more on their home than it’s worth," according to an article by Darla Cameron and Ted Mellnik.
The article cites a new report from Zillow, which found that the national negative equity rate stalled in the fourth quarter of 2014 for the first time in 2.5 years. Over that time period, "the rate worsened in 21 of the nation’s top 50 housing markets, including Philadelphia, Boston and Houston," report Cameron and Mellnik.
Over a quarter of homeowners are underwater in the metropolitan areas of Virginia Beach, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago and Memphis. The article includes charts to visualize the ongoing evolution of the problem.
FULL STORY: The cities where houses are suddenly going underwater
The Strong, Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge Awards $90 Million
Six regions have been selected for funding as part of the Strong, Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge, or SPARCC. A local news outlet reports on the potential benefits of the program for Atlanta.
Report: Transit Oriented Development Leads the Market in Major Metros
A report released last week by Cushman & Wakefield has won a lot of attention from media outlets covering large-scale development market trends. Among the report's findings: growing cities need to better support transit-oriented development.
The Crucial Role of Suburban Voters in the Midterms
Suburban voters were instrumental in preventing a 'red wave' on Election Day and on December 6 in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff election, enabling the Democrats to win a 51st Senate seat.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
