housing affordability

Austin Construction

New Density Bonus Approved in Austin

The city of Austin is using density bonus as an incentive for developers to include affordable housing in new developments.

May 11, 2019 - Austin Monitor

Beverly Hills

Toward a More Useful, and Accurate, Definition of Gentrification

Recent studies have called into question the predominant narratives on gentrification. A more precise definition of the term as it works in the United States is required.

May 6, 2019 - Slate

State Capital

Tax Relief as an Affordable Housing Boost

The city of New Orleans needs approval from the State Legislature and the state's voters before it can implement tax relief measures meant to give more first-time homebuyers access to the housing market.

May 1, 2019 - The New Orleans Advocate

Boston T

Ending Rent Control Changed Everything in Massachusetts. What Happens If It Becomes Legal Again?

Two proposed bills would roll back a statewide prohibition on rent control in Massachusetts. The city of Cambridge, how of the anti-rent control movement in the state, is now a poster child for the housing crisis.

April 30, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Elderly

Middle-Class Seniors Losing Access to Housing and Healthcare

In the next decade, the number of middle-income seniors who can't afford assisted living will nearly double.

April 29, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Washington, D.C. Apartment

What the Market Can Bear: Defining Limits to Inclusive Housing Requirements

Inclusivity requirements should be used with caution. Increasing the portion of below-market housing units tends to reduce total housing production, particularly moderate-priced homes.

April 29, 2019 - Todd Litman

San Francisco

Maps: Where Teachers Can Afford Housing in California

Teachers can't afford to live in the neighborhoods where they teach in California—the biggest gap between teachers' wages and the cost of housing is found in the Bay Area.

April 19, 2019 - EdSource

Columbus Ohio

New Spending, Planning Approved to Address Affordable Housing Crisis in Columbus

Columbus approved an emergency allotment of capital improvement bond funding for housing, and the launch of an affordable housing strategy process.

April 18, 2019 - WCBE

Senator and Democratic Candidate for President

Kamala Harris Reintroduces 'Rent Relief Act'

The Rent Relief Act would provide a refundable tax credit for renters who pay more than 30% of their income on rent.

April 9, 2019 - Roll Call

State Capital of Utah

Finding Ways for States and Cities to Work Together to Solve the Housing Crisis

The National League of Cities has a new report surveying local tools for addressing the housing affordability crisis. State partnerships are included.

April 9, 2019 - Governing

Frederick Maryland

Where Americans Are Most Likely to Live With Housing Cost Burdens

New analysis reveals the geographic patterns of housing cost burdens in the United States.

April 5, 2019 - CityLab

Gilpin County, Colorado

The Rural Housing Affordability Crisis

The number of cost-burdened households in rural parts of the United States is increasing quickly.

April 3, 2019 - Stateline

Vancouver Skyline

Effectiveness of Vancouver Affordable Housing Program Questioned

With prices listed at $1,600 a month for a studio, $2,800 for a two-bedroom and $3,700 for a three-bedroom, officials in Vancouver, British Columbia are wondering whether the Rent 100 program is achieving its intended goals.

March 26, 2019 - The Star Vancouver

Condos Smart Growth

Study: Housing Crisis Stems from Inequality (Not Zoning)

A new paper examines the impacts of broad economic trends—like inequality, job markets, and migration—on housing markets in the nation's major metropolitan areas.

March 25, 2019 - The Planning Report

Minnesota

'Renter-First Housing Policy' Adopted by the Minneapolis City Council

The city of Minneapolis is taking positive steps to improve housing security for renters.

March 24, 2019 - City of Minneapolis

Hurricane Harvey

Connecting the Issues of Flooding and Affordable Housing in Texas

A study released this week by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium ( the University of Houston, the Kinder Institute, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and more) raises concerns that new floodplain regulations could harm renters.

March 21, 2019 - The Houston Chronicle

Tenants' Rights

More States Look to Expand Tenant Protections

Cities and states around the country are reconsidering decades-old bans on rent control.

March 20, 2019 - Governing

Texas Townhomes

Home Builders Aren't Building the Smaller Homes the Market Wants

It's time to get demand and supply on the same page, according to this report.

March 17, 2019 - RCLCO

Affordable Rental Housing

Report: No City or State in the U.S. Has Enough Housing for Low-Income Residents

"The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes" illustrates the depth of the nation's rental housing affordability crisis.

March 14, 2019 - Curbed

Potted Plants

Homeownership in Reach for More Renters

According to the Urban Institute's Housing Affordability for Renters Index, the number of renters who can afford to buy a home in their metropolitan area is generally increasing when compared to the housing bubble of the mid-2000s.

March 13, 2019 - Urban Institute

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

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