Housing Crisis
Baby boomers own homes, lots of them, with empty rooms, lots of them.
Trulia
Liam Dillon has written the exact article for anyone who has every rolled their eyes at the words "housing element" or Regional Housing Needs Assessment.
Los Angeles Times
The mayor of San Diego has acknowledged the ongoing crisis of housing affordability by pushing to make it easier to build housing at higher densities and with less parking. Marin County…not so much.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
In Arlington, restricting density to preserve neighborhood character isn't new. A rowhouse ban in 1938 may be one factor behind today's steep prices and gentrification.
Greater Greater Washington
A diverse coalition of social justice, labor, and environmental groups have come together under the name Build Better San Diego to troubleshoot and advocate for affordable housing, writes affordable housing developer and advocate Murtaza Baxamusa.
UrbDeZine
Feature
More trouble in River City, as Portland and Oregon struggle with rising housing costs and come up with a puzzling solution.
Matthew Desmond, author of "Evicted," looks at the lives of Americans across the economic spectrum to gain insight into how homeownership, mainly through the mortgage tax deduction, keeps the U.S. unequal.
The New York Times
Pasadena is revising its zoning regulations to accommodate more accessory dwelling units. This open letter to the city's Planning Commission includes sound suggestions, applicable everywhere.
UrbDeZine
A New York Times feature details the re-emergence of the single room occupancy (SRO) unit in the New York rental market. Despite a stigma and an old-fashioned quality, the SRO is becoming a badly needed housing solution.
The New York Times
A recent report from the Urban Institute warns of potentially expanding catastrophe for affordable housing around the country.
Business Insider
Matthew Desmond's ethnographic study has received critical praise. But David Adler asks whether the book's approach tacitly lets affluent non-landlords off the hook.
Current Affairs
An op-ed written by city officials from two South Bay Area cities argues that reform of land use regulations won't be enough to solve California's housing crisis.
The Mercury News
Dan Walters has some harsh words for California state leaders. He says their approach to the housing shortage has been "tepid" and "lackadaisical."
The Sacramento Bee
The controversy over the recent ballot initiative known as Measure S has Los Angeles thinking: How can the city accommodate new housing supply without disenfranchising communities?
The Planning Report
California State Senator Scott Wiener argues that advocating for subsidized affordable housing isn't enough. Anyone concerned with ending the state's housing crisis needs to get behind market-rate development.
Art + Marketing
Housing prices have increased 33 percent compared to the previous year in Toronto, and now the provincial government is snapping into action.
The Toronto Star
A recent survey found young people are more likely to support development in their neighborhood than their older counterparts in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region.
San Francisco Business Times
Communities across Nebraska report plenty of jobs to go around, but not enough housing for the workers to fulfill the demand.
Omaha World-Herald
Mayor Ed Lee comes out against the city controller's proposed percentages for affordable housing, saying the numbers, "…have no relevance to what we economically can accomplish"
San Francisco Chronicle
A public service announcement on behalf of renters priced out of the housing market: "Talk to your friends about zoning."
Slate
