Overly restrictive zoning regulations have stifled the housing supply and driven up rents across the Commonwealth.
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A piece by Alex Horowitz and Chase Hatchett for Pew Trusts zeroes in on the housing affordability crisis in Virginia, where homelessness has risen by 13 percent in the last five years and the housing market is short roughly 105,000 units. Statewide, rents increased by 25 percent since 2017.
“In previous times, builders would construct new starter homes to fill that void, but restrictive zoning in most jurisdictions, both in Virginia and nationwide, has blocked lower-cost starter homes through drawn-out permitting processes, large minimum lot sizes, and banning town houses and duplexes.” Yet research shows that the availability of more diverse types of housing lowers average rent costs and offers residents more options for affordable living. “If allowed by zoning, living in smaller homes—whether apartments or otherwise—closer to jobs, schools, stores, and extended family is attractive to many people to reduce commutes, transportation costs, and time spent in traffic.”
FULL STORY: How Restrictive Zoning in Virginia Has Hurt Housing Affordability
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What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
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USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
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Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
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Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
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Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research