Housing

How Courtyard Apartments Make Cities More Family-Friendly
Apartment buildings with interior courtyards can offer safe, affordable, and functional spaces for urban households with children.

Research Shows White Communities Gain Affluence After Climate Disasters
People of color and lower-income residents tend to lose wealth despite the stated goals of federal assistance programs to restore communities impacted by disasters.

Lexington, Kentucky Passes Urban Growth Plan
The city’s new master plan sets out requirements for mixed-use development.

Boston Affordable Housing Program Meets 1,000-Unit Goal
The program offers zero-interest loans to developers that keep rental units affordable for at least 50 years.

California Sues Norwalk Over Shelter Moratorium
The state says the city of Norwalk’s prohibition on new shelters and transitional and supportive housing violates anti-discrimination and fair housing laws.

‘Biggest Little City’ Makes Room for Growth
The mayor of Reno has pushed for reforming housing regulations to support more affordable development.

Placemaking in the Barrio: Conceptualizing Infill Development in Disenfranchised Communities
How one San Antonio neighborhood could approach sustainable revitalization while supporting the existing community and drawing on its rich and diverse history and cultural resources.

Colorado Launches New Efficiency and Weatherization Rebate Program
The state is using federal funds to assist homeowners in replacing inefficient appliances and making their homes more climate-friendly and resilient.

States Move to Protect Mobile Home Park Residents
Making it easier for mobile home park residents to collectively purchase the land they live on can protect their housing affordability for the long term.

‘Newbie Humility’ Meets the ‘Imported NIMBY’
In a precautionary essay about moving to another place, Chuck Wolfe explains tensions between simple and practical community life and newcomers’ arguably gentrification-laced expectations.

New Jersey Towns Call for Suspension of Affordable Housing Law
Close to two dozen municipalities are suing the state, arguing that the affordable housing requirements mandated by the Mount Laurel Doctrine are unrealistic and discriminate against suburban communities.

San Diego Begins to See Results of State Housing Law
Homeowners in Southern California are starting to take advantage of a state law that allows lot splitting and higher density in residential areas in an effort to increase housing supply and affordability.

Where 2024 Presidential Candidates Stand on 12 Issues Important to Urban Planners
Whether you’re yet undecided or have already cast your early vote, here is a roundup of the key positions of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on important urban planning policies.

Commentary: How Can We Solve America’s Affordable Housing Crisis? CDFIs are the Key
As financial institutions whose mission is to support underserved communities, community development financial institutions can be key partners to ensure public-private efforts to build affordable housing pencil out.

How Much Are Short-Term Rentals to Blame for the Housing Crisis?
Whether and how deeply Airbnb and other short-term rentals affect housing costs depends largely on local conditions and economies.

New Jersey Calls for 85,000 New Housing Units
A state law known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine mandates that each jurisdiction accommodate enough new housing units to meet the local demand for affordable housing.

How the Post-Covid Reality Is Reshaping Central Business Districts and Urban Centers
U.S. cities are working to redefine their downtowns in response to the “donut effect:” people and businesses abandoning city centers and flocking to suburban areas and beyond.

Southern California City Offers Buyout to Homeowners Facing Erosion Threat
Power and gas were shut off to dozens of homes in Rancho Palos Verdes as landslides threatened homes and infrastructure. Now, the city is offering to buy the homes to help residents relocate.

Future of Justice40 Initiative Hinges on Election
The program requires that 40 percent of some federal funds be used to benefit historically disadvantaged communities.

SCOTUS Hamstrings Federal Agencies, a Blow to Housing and Health Equity
The Supreme Court has overturned the legal precedent Chevron deference. Without the authority to interpret ambiguities in regulations, the critical work of HHS and HUD could suffer.
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