housing affordability

Colorful multistory apartment buildings next to BART transit station in Pleasanton, California.

The Symbiotic Relationship of Housing and Transit

Building more housing near transit can improve housing affordability and boost ridership on struggling systems.

January 7, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

Close-up of white sign with red FOR SALE letters and blurred brick single-family home in background.

Congress Introduces Bill to Block Hedge Funds from Buying Single-Family Homes

The proposed legislation aims to help U.S. home buyers who can’t afford to outbid deep-pocketed institutional investors.

January 1, 2024 - HousingWire

White clapboard house with For Sale sign in front yard

Majority of US Home Listings Are Unaffordable

Just 15.5 percent of homes for sale in 2023 were affordable for the average earner, but there could be hope for 2024.

December 29, 2023 - CBS News via Yahoo Finance

Four-story gray apartment building in suburban area

Upzoning Affordability Impacts: The Latest Research

There are new controversies concerning how upzoning affects housing supply and affordability, and new research to help planners understand these issues.

December 26, 2023 - Supply Skepticism Revisited

Aerial view of mobile home community in rural area with homes lined up diagonally next to small road.

Report Highlights Housing Issues in Rural America

Rising costs and an aging housing stock are squeezing rural households, with the impacts felt unevenly across ages and ethnicities.

December 13, 2023 - The Daily Yonder

View of Tucson, Arizona at sunset with two saguaro cacti in foreground.

Zoning Driving Housing Costs, Water Consumption in Arizona

Regulations that prohibit multifamily housing and smaller lot sizes contribute to a growing gulf between housing supply and demand.

December 12, 2023 - Pew

Skyline of Columbus, Ohio with bridge and river.

Columbus City Council Proposes Actions to Stem Housing Crisis

Central Ohio needs roughly 14,000 new housing units every year to keep up with demand.

November 21, 2023 - ABC 6

Eviction notice taped to dark grey door with arched window at top.

Evictions on the Rise in California

As rent costs continue to grow and eviction protection programs lapse, eviction rates are spiking across the state.

November 20, 2023 - CALmatters

Salt Lake City, Utah

Audit Reveals Utah’s Housing Shortage

The state must build 28,000 housing units each year to keep up with a growing need.

November 20, 2023 - Deseret News

Row of brick three-story townhomes in Britih Columbia.

More Affordable Housing for People, Less for Cars

Most jurisdictions have off-street parking requirements that increase motorists’ convenience but reduce housing affordability. It’s time to reform these policies for the sake of efficiency and fairness.

November 20, 2023 - Todd Litman

Mount Rainier

Opinion: Voters Deserve to See the Draft ‘One Seattle’ Plan

Despite a promise to release a draft comprehensive plan update in April and with elections in less than a week, Seattle residents are still waiting to see the city’s proposal for how to guide development in the next decades.

November 1, 2023 - The Stranger

Aerial view of Mesa, Arizona

Mesa General Plan Update Aims for Clarity, Accountability

The Arizona city’s once-a-decade update to its General Plan will clarify zoning boundaries left ‘fuzzy’ in its previous iteration.

September 6, 2023 - The Mesa Tribune

Housing construction in Austin, Texas

Austin Electeds Hope Site Review Improvements Achieve Affordability Gains

After receiving scathing reviews about the frustrations and inefficiencies of its site review process, Austin has contracted with McKinsey to begin the work of overhauling the process.

September 5, 2023 - The Real Deal

Colorful "atx" sign in front of Whole Foods store in Austin, Texas

Austin’s ‘Affordability Unlocked’ Initiative Faces Lawsuit

A group of 18 plaintiffs is suing to overturn the city of Austin’s “Affordability Unlocked” planning initiative.

August 30, 2023 - Austin Monitor

View of top of high-rise apartment building under construction with red and white cranes

The Relationship Between Rents and Housing Supply

Despite a strong belief in market forces in many other aspects of the economy, many Americans don’t see a correlation between housing supply and housing costs.

August 9, 2023 - New York Magazine

Rent Jubilee

Dissecting the Latest State of the Nation’s Housing Report

The annual report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies highlights a growing rent burden for low- and middle-income families.

June 29, 2023 - Enterprise Community Partners

Close-up of calendar on day 1 of month with "Pay Rent" written in red marker

Report: Housing Affordability a Problem in Almost All U.S. Counties

The ‘housing wage’ needed to afford housing in most communities is well above minimum wage.

June 21, 2023 - Route Fifty

Zoning Code Rendering

Where Permissive Zoning Codes Slowed Rent Growth

Recent analysis from the Pew Research Center identifies more support for zoning reform as a tool for maintaining the affordability of rental housing in U.S. cities.

May 15, 2023 - Pew Research Center

Aerial view of irrigation canal winding through Scottsdale, Arizona suburb with mountains in background

Mitigating the Environmental Footprint of Sprawl

There is still time to reverse the environmental outcomes of American suburbs. Researchers in Los Angeles, considered by many to be the poster child for U.S. sprawl, have been at work on the problem for years.

May 11, 2023 - Nature

View of back of moving van with back door open, loaded with boxes, next to a line of two-story apartment buildings.

Low-Income Residents Less Likely to Move During the Pandemic, Freddie Mac Says

Does low-income residents staying put in large metro areas, relative to higher-income groups, mean that low-income households are missing out on affordable housing options? Freddie Mac researchers think so.

May 9, 2023 - Freddie Mac

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