Rapidly rising housing costs are pushing out the residents at the heart of local economies in resort towns across the country.
Major employers in Western towns are turning to modular housing units to provide affordable housing for workers increasingly squeezed out of the local housing market, reports Hanna Merzbach for Marketplace.
In Jackson, Wyoming, the state’s Game and Fish department is subsidizing housing for some of its employees. “Prebuilt homes bypass the challenge of trying to find local construction workers, and modulars can cost less. Wyoming Game and Fish saved more than $5 million on seven buildings, according to the architect, Greg Mason.” In Kemmerer, Wyoming, employment at a new nuclear plant is prompting the town to bring in 90 modular units, which offer more cost savings at scale than individually.
Modular housing has become a hot topic for housing advocates who want to see the typology, which is often excluded by zoning codes and limited from accessing loans, legalized and regulated more broadly.
FULL STORY: In pricey Western towns, employers truck in workers’ homes from factories
DC Residents Want Affordability Over ‘Character’
A poll finds that most residents want to see changes in zoning and land use laws that unlock more housing construction in the District and improve affordability.
Rents Rose Between December and January
After dropping to a three-year low, U.S. rent costs grew in many major cities.
National Survey Shows ‘Severe, Widespread, and Worsening’ Housing Crisis
Mayors from around the country agree that more support is needed at the federal level to strengthen housing assistance programs.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track
The park is part of a global movement to build public spaces that connect neighbors and work with local elements to serve as key parts of a city’s green infrastructure.
Art in Action: USC Event Calls for an Urgent Green Energy Transition
The El Respiro / Respire event at USC uses a large-scale human geochoreography to demand an urgent and equitable transition to green energy, blending art, activism, and community engagement to amplify the message of climate justice.
Safe Parking Programs Help People Access Housing
The safety and stability offered by Safe Parking sites have helped 40 percent of unhoused San Diego residents who accessed these programs get into permanent housing.
Study: Single-Staircase Buildings Pose No Additional Risks
Zoning codes have long prohibited single-stair residential buildings due to safety concerns, but changing that could lower the cost of construction and allow for more flexible housing designs.
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.
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
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