Housing Crisis
Cities looking to follow Minneapolis's lead in overturning the status quo of exclusionary zoning should consider "gentle density," according to this article.
Brookings
PBS NewsHour devoted a ten-minute news segment to the subject of the avant-garde of urban planning: the Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan.
PBS NewsHour
With stronger state mandates kicking in, California housing permits rose sharply in September. But as one construction industry commentator noted, an uptick isn't a trend.
The Mercury News
California's Senate Bill 35 is touted by affordable housing advocates and other pro-development forces as an example of what good developments can happen when local obstructions are moved out of the way by the state.
The Mercury News
As a response to rising rental prices and low vacancy rates, Vancouver planners have created a package of zoning and process changes to provide incentives for new multi-family developments.
The Vancouver Sun
The Southern California Association of Governments, in response to new mandates from the state, has adopted a radical new approach to housing requirements in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Los Angeles Times
Ben Metcalf recently stepped down as director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development. His tenure coincided with adoption of aggressive new statewide policies. But are they too much of a good thing?
California Planning & Development Report
New multibillion-dollar affordable housing commitments from leading tech firms may build out thousands of units, but that's nothing next to California's gargantuan housing shortage.
The New York Times
Recent political interest in local land use regulations requires a thorough and nuanced understanding of the strengths and limitations of the methodologies available for measuring the effects of zoning.
Brookings
Two proposed pieces of legislation would create a new revenue stream for Philadelphia's affordable housing efforts and protect tenants of existing affordable units.
WHYY
It's been a big year for tech giants pledging money to mitigate the affordability crisis in the regions and cities they call home. Apple joins a club that includes Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Los Angeles Times
A new fee would add an estimated 6 percent to the cost of building new office space in San Francisco, yet not many from the business community resisted the new costs.
San Francisco Chronicle
The Golden State's ongoing homelessness crisis has residents on edge and is testing the limits of empathy in a state known for its liberal values.
The New York Times
Gentrification "mutates particular neighborhoods" while scarce housing "squeezes entire regions," Devin Michelle Bunten writes. Conflating the two can lead to inaccuracies in understanding.
CityLab
Facebook joins as Google in the $1 billion club, though this club plans to spend that money on housing programs to help alleviate the exploding cost of housing in the state of California.
The Mercury News
The benefits of equitable mobility policy will extend to equitable housing outcomes, according to this article published by Sidewalk Labs.
Sidewalk Talk
New research reveals an "unseen force" in the housing crisis: consolidation of home building capital and land ownership.
The Washington Post
For years, the California legislators have been passing bills to allow accessory dwelling units on single-family residential lots. These laws haven't attracted the same attention as other failed laws, but their effect is significant.
Los Angeles Times
Advocates argue the array of small dwelling options provide much-needed affordable housing. But, living in these units, many of which are extremely small, isn't the alternative many people would choose.
Fast Company
For the second year in a row, New Orleans is losing more affordable housing than it is creating, according to a recent report published by HousingNOLA.
The New Orleans Advocate
