Affordable Housing

Treasure Valley

How To Build More Affordable Housing in Idaho

Idaho cities can remove barriers to development, adjust zoning codes, and encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units and single-occupancy apartments to sustainably accommodate the state’s growing population.

July 19, 2022 - Idaho Capital Sun

New York City Air Conditioners

New York City Issues Nearly All Its Housing Vouchers

After a slow start to the program, the city has distributed 91 percent of the housing vouchers issued through the American Rescue Act. Now housing agencies must help recipients actually find housing.

July 19, 2022 - City Limits

Capsule hotel in Japan

Capsule Housing: Affordable Solution or Dystopia?

Like Japan’s capsule hotels, the ‘podsharing’ housing model offers minimal, shared living space—but can it work as a long-term housing solution?

July 18, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Sunset view of Aspen, Colorado

Aspen Imposes New Limits on Short-Term Rentals as Housing Prices Soar

The Aspen City Council hopes the stricter regulations on short-term rentals and new home construction will stem the astronomical rise of housing costs in the mountain town.

July 13, 2022 - The Colorado Sun

Brick apartment building with For Rent sign

Rents Likely To Stay High as Home Sales Market Cools

The Fed’s recent decision to raise interest rates is causing a slowdown in the housing market, but rents are poised to remain high as demand for rental housing continues to outpace supply.

July 13, 2022 - Bay Citizen via The New York Times

Charlotte Housing Development

Charlotte To Consider Fines for Housing Voucher Discrimination

A proposed policy would fine landlords who refuse to rent to voucher recipients, calling it “source of income discrimination.”

July 12, 2022 - The Charlotte Observer

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh’s Downtown Office Buildings Could Soon Become Housing

The city is proposing a $2.1 million boost to state and county efforts aimed at converting office buildings to affordable workforce housing.

July 11, 2022 - Pittsburgh Magazine

New York City Zoning Map

The Case for a ‘Zoning Czar’

Federal oversight of zoning reforms could coordinate efforts across agencies and shoulder some of the political backlash to local zoning changes.

July 8, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Train station in New Haven, Conncticut

Transit-Oriented Walking Tours Highlight the Value of Density

Housing advocates in Connecticut are leading walking tours that fight misinformation about transit-oriented development and emphasize the benefits of increased density.

July 7, 2022 - Connecticut Public Radio

University of Arizona

Tucson Development Boom Threatens Displacement of Longtime Residents

Median rent in Tucson rose by 30 percent since a year ago, prompting fears of displacement among many residents struggling to afford housing.

July 6, 2022 - Phoenix Business Journal

A conceptual rendering showing the potential development capacity of zoning changes included in the Broadway Plan for Vancouver, British Columbia.

Vancouver’s Controversial Broadway Plan Approved With Amendments

A plan to add new significant amounts of housing, shifting development south into a “second downtown” around the future SkyTrain Millennium Line Broadway Extension, has been approved in Vancouver.

July 6, 2022 - Daily Hive

Colorado Homes

Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan

President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.

July 5, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

View looking down on construction of multiple buildings in San Francisco's Transbay Transit Center District

San Francisco to Reconsider Inclusionary Zoning as Development Slows to a Crawl

Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.

July 4, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Two-story housing in Sacramento, California

Sacramento Households Hit Hard by Evictions

With pandemic-era renter protections ending and rents rising by close to 20 percent, renters in Sacramento are finding it harder to afford housing in the region.

July 1, 2022 - The Sacramento Bee

Central Los Angeles

California Approves Revised Los Angeles Housing Element

State officials officially approved the city’s housing plan, which was initially rejected for not doing enough to enhance housing equity.

June 30, 2022 - Urbanize LA

Housing Construction

The State of the Nation’s Housing: 2022 Report

An annual report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) reveals that a growing number of American households face housing insecurity and spiking costs of living.

June 23, 2022 - Enterprise Community Partners

Traditional single-family home next to modern home in Arlington, Virginia

Arlington County Struggles To Meet Affordable Housing Goals

As the region’s population swells and demand for housing grows, Arlington County considers zoning reform to boost its affordable housing stock.

June 23, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

Potomac River

Alexandria To Consider New Density Bonus

City leaders hope the proposed change will boost the city’s supply of affordable housing.

June 22, 2022 - Alexandria Living Magazine

Mount Rainier

After Major Investments, Seattle Still Falling Behind on Affordable Housing Goals

The city aims to build 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2025, but as housing costs continue to increase, more Seattleites are being squeezed out of their homes.

June 16, 2022 - Crosscut

Unhoused person under a freeway overpass in Houston, Texas

How Houston Is Eliminating Chronic Homelessness

Taking a comprehensive ‘Housing First’ approach, the city of Houston has cut homelessness by 63 percent in the last decade.

June 15, 2022 - The New York Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop

Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

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Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

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100 Most Influential Urbanists

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.