A recent study of the Airbnb rental units in Seattle shows a growing supply of short-term rental units, which is also cutting into the city's available rental housing stock.
Gene Balk shares the details of a new study of the impacts of Airbnb on the housing market of Seattle. Howard Greenwich, a senior policy adviser at the housing-advocacy group Puget Sound Sage, and web developer Tom Slee scraped data from the Airbnb site to find the following results during the month of April:
…there were 2,817 listings for whole units, or entire houses or apartments (there were also 1,353 private or shared rooms in Seattle). Most of these are placed by folks renting out their own home to make some extra cash while they’re away. But 1,003 of these units — 36 percent — were listed by hosts who did not reside there.
The study also compared Airbnb rental units between September 2015 and April 2016, finding quick growth in short-term rentals around Downtown, Capitol Hill, and Fremont, among other neighborhoods. For the whole city, Airbnb grew by 665 units in that time, for a 31 percent increase.
Read the full story: Can’t find a home in Seattle? Airbnb rentals may be to blame
British Columbia Cracks Down on Short-Term Rentals
Provincial leaders say the new rules could open up as many as 19,000 units for long-term rental.
Will New York’s Strict Short-Term Rental Rules Work?
Some owners are reluctant to put short-term rental units back on the long-term rental market, but the number of permitted units has dropped dramatically.
A ‘Black Market’ for Short-Term Rentals Grows in NYC
While many owners are listing their rentals on other websites, others are moving them back to the long-term rental market.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello