There's plenty of housing available in Downtown L.A. for the wealthy but, while those apartments sit empty, many looking for housing find costs too high to pay.

High vacancy rates in Downtown L.A.'s residential units have lead landlords to offer parking deals and months of free rent. "Thanks to a wave of market-rate rental construction, supply has outpaced demand downtown since 2014. The vacancy rate now hovers around 12 percent — the highest recorded by real estate research firm CoStar Group since 2000," Josie Huang reports for KPCC.
At the same time, the city is home to a worsening homeless crisis.
"Because zoning updates have made it easier to build taller and denser, and there is not the same level of neighborhood opposition seen in other parts of L.A. High-rises are going onto surface parking lots," Huang writes. Some hope that these vacancies will lead to lower rents, but so far there is little evidence of that effect, perhaps, because of the type of housing. "All the market-rate apartments sitting unoccupied in the interim, however, irritate housing advocates such as Thelmy Perez, given California's shortage of affordably-priced homes," Huang reports.
FULL STORY: As DTLA vacancies rise, landlords increase breaks on rent, parking

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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