On the heels of the Obama Administration's Housing Development Toolkit, Jonathan Coppange examines how federal policy has distorted the housing market.
Jonathan Coppange, a visiting senior fellow at the R Street Institute researching urbanism and civil society, writes an in-depth op-ed describing the effects of federal policy on the country's housing market. Coppange's core claim: "the Federal Housing Administration has to relegalize Main Street."
Coppange credits FHA standards for loans for the federal prohibition of Main Street in smaller and distressed communities. "To this day," writes Coppange, "FHA standards for loans, which set the market for the entire private banking sector, prohibit any but the most minimal commercial property from being included in residential development."
"As a groundbreaking report [pdf] by New York City’s Regional Plan Association found, these standards are 'effectively disallowing most buildings with six stories or less,'" adds Coppange. "And depending on the program, a building could have to reach to 17 stories before it is eligible for participation in the normal housing markets."
In addition to supporting some of the recommendations included in the Obama Administration's Housing Development Toolkit, Coppange also suggests raising caps on commercial space and income. Although some of the commentary following the Obama Administration's release of the toolkit noted the Executive Branch's lack of influence over housing policy at the local level, Coppange insists that even with local reforms, "small-scale building efforts would too often die in the halls of the FHA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development."
FULL STORY: To end the affordable housing crisis, Washington needs to legalize Main Street
Study: Half as Many Metro Areas Affordable to Low-Income Homebuyers in 2021 as in 2020
Over 13 million potential first-time homebuyers were priced out this year, putting homeownership out of reach for low-income households in most of the largest U.S. cities.
U.S. Condos Face a 'Midlife Crisis'
An overlooked but important part of American housing stock, many condominium complexes are facing the consequences of decades of deferred maintenance as their buildings and infrastructure reach a critical age.
Family Money Boosts Chances of Homeownership for Californians
Buying a home in California is increasingly a matter of generational wealth.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
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.
