The economic recovery has not led to a baby recovery.
Jeff Tucker shares news of new analysis from Zillow that finds a correlation between rising home prices and plummeting fertility rates.
"The economic recovery produced a sharp rise in home prices from 2010 to 2016, and a simultaneous drop in the birth rate," Tucker writes. "Birth rates fell the most in counties where home values grew the most, and birth rates fell less and sometimes even increased in counties with smaller home price increases."
To attach numbers to those findings, "[a]n extra 10 percentage-point rise in home values was associated with an extra 1.5 percentage-point drop in birth rates for 25- to 29-year-old women."
While those fertility rates are declining, so to are young people waiting longer to buy a home. "[b]etween 2010 and 2013, the average age of a first-time home buyer was 32.5 [pdf], and as homes grew more expensive, that average age rose to 35.2 by 2017. Meanwhile, the average age of mothers at birth rose from 27.7 in 2010 to 28.7 in 2016."
According to Tucker, the analysis raises concerns that the fertility rate that plummeted during the Great Recession is not recovering along with the economic recovery. Much of the article takes a look at other data that could explain the drop in fertility among Americans.
FULL STORY: Birth Rates Dropped Most in Counties Where Home Values Grew Most
Rent Control Buckling Under Market Pressure, Sweden Increases Development
A housing affordability case study, provided by the unique housing policies in the country of Sweden.
A Call for Action as Construction Slows in California
An editorial by the Los Angeles Times calls for the state to remove barriers to housing shortage after a report finds declining numbers of residential permits around the state.
SF Chronicle Editorial Board: Build More Homes to Help the Homeless
And stop changing the subject, adds the Editorial Board of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Minneapolis Bans Rent-Setting Software
Four cities have enacted restrictions on algorithmic software that can inflate rent costs.
Oakland to Add 244 New EV Chargers
Oakland plans to launch its new charging network at eight locations by the end of 2025.
Jane Goodall Inspires with Message of Hope, Resilience, and Environmental Action
Speaking in Pasadena, Jane Goodall offered a hopeful and inspirational message, urging global compassion, environmental responsibility, and the power of individual action to shape a better future.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland