When vacancy rates rise, rents should fall. In New York, reports disagree about how much vacancy rates are about to increase, and whether rents will drop at all.

"New York apartment landlords could face a grim reckoning next year as the vacancy rate soars to more than 11%, far outpacing the rate in the rest of the country," reports Josh Barbanel.
That prediction originates from a new forecast from Ten-X Commercial, an online marketplace for real estate. "It noted that the rate of job growth, a driver of the rental market, already has begun to slow," according to Barbanel.
The forecast stops short of describing the market rest as a doomsday scenario, explains Barbanel, "because lenders have been much more conservative in their underwriting during the current economic cycle."
Barbanel also found some New York real estate experts who disagreed with the report's assessment. Reis Inc, for instance, recently produced its own forecast that predicts a vacancy rate of 6.1% in 2018. Reis predicts rent growth will slow, not decline, while Ten-X Commercial predicts rents will decline by an annual average of 2.7% through 2020.
[This Wall Street Journal article might be blocked for some users.]
FULL STORY: New York Apartment Vacancies Projected to Soar

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?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions