Cost of Housing

Single-Family Housing Construction

Watch: The Laws and Policies Driving Up the Cost of Housing

A Vox explainer video tackles the rising cost of housing in the United States.

August 31, 2021 - Vox via YouTube

San Francisco

U.S. Rents Match Pre-Pandemic Projections—Except in Big, Expensive Cities

Rents are resetting to pre-pandemic projections around the United States. Cities like San Francisco and New York are lagging behind, however.

July 5, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Minneapolis Park

First Steps Toward Rent Control in Minneapolis

The state of Minnesota requires local rent control law to be approved by general election, so the city of Minneapolis is forced to take several preemptory steps to get a rent stabilization ordinance on the ballot.

May 4, 2021 - MinnPost

Multi-Family Housing

How 2020 Changed the Rental Market

A new report by RentCafé reveals the extent of the pandemic's influence on the rental market—so far.

December 16, 2020 - RentCafé

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Vancouver Again Raises its Empty Homes Tax

The Vancouver Empty Homes Tax will soon be three times as high as it was when adopted in 2017.

November 29, 2020 - CTV News Vancouver

Housing protest

Lessons From Rent Control's Latest Election Rejection

California voters, with a reputation for liberal politics, have repeatedly refused to approve statewide rent control laws at the ballot box.

November 12, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Boise Idaho

Californians Are Leaving the State for More Affordable, Greener Pastures

Skyrocketing housing costs in California are pushing people out to other parts of the country.

October 29, 2018 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Portland Airport Carpet

Rent Dropping in Portland

The market is working, according to City Observatory's take on data finding declining rents in the city of Portland.

July 24, 2018 - City Observatory

Seattle

Rents Dip in Some Expensive Cities

A building boom in cities like Seattle has slowed rising rents, but experts don't see this as a lasting trend.

March 20, 2018 - Governing

Seattle SUper Bowl Parade 12th Man Flag

Mandatory Housing Affordability Details Released in Seattle

Seattle has released the long-awaited environmental impact statement for the Mandatory Housing Affordability program—a final step in the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda process launched by former Mayor Ed Murray.

November 12, 2017 - Seattle Met

Fire Escape

Evidence of Softening Rental Markets

According to Joe Cortright, a slowing pace of rent inflation in most large cities in the United States, combined with decreasing rents in many cities, shows how adding supply can help balance the market.

June 25, 2017 - City Observatory

Toronto

Ontario 'Fair Housing Plan' Proposed to Curb Skyrocketing Housing Costs

Housing prices have increased 33 percent compared to the previous year in Toronto, and now the provincial government is snapping into action.

April 20, 2017 - The Toronto Star

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

Land Prices and New Housing

Some commentators argue that even if cities allow housing supply to expand, more permissive zoning will cause land prices to increase, causing rents to rise rather than fall. This post disagrees.

March 28, 2017 - Michael Lewyn

Portland

Relief for the High-End Renter in Portland

Portland has built many new apartments in the city's core, and that seems to be slowing down rent growth in the area.

March 14, 2017 - The Oregonian

Construction

A Pro-Development Argument in the Great Housing Debate

In the ongoing and contentious debate about whether market-rate development is a cure or a disease, another writer comes down on the side of more supply, no matter the cost.

December 11, 2016 - Bloomberg

Bay Bridge

More Evidence that Bay Area Housing Prices Are Hurting the Economy

Beacon Economics projects a slowdown in job growth in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the region's high housing costs.

December 9, 2016 - San Francisco Business Times

Toronto Skyline B&W

Help Wanted: Canadian Cities Turn to the Federal Government for Affordable Housing

An organization representing Canadian cities is asking for $12.7 billion to respond to rising housing costs.

October 28, 2016 - Next City

Apartments for rent signage

Some Big Cities See Shrinking Rents

Even as rents continue to rise nationally, some of the most expensive cities like San Jose, San Francisco, and New York have seen rents fall this year.

October 6, 2016 - The Wall Street Jounal

Bank Owned

Survey: Housing Anxiety Growing in the United States

Americans are growing more apprehensive about their housing security.

September 13, 2016 - CityLab

Bronx Apartments

The Gap Between the Cost of Housing and the Wages of Workers in 8 U.S. Cities

It's not just New York and San Francisco—many professions don't offer enough wages to afford an apartment at today's prices.

August 14, 2016 - Housing Perspectives

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