Housing starts and permits are slowing nationwide. The current pace of construction would have been considered a trough in pre-recession economic cycles.
Andrea Riquier reports on housing data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce this week. The data show housing starts slowing for the nation as a whole, falling short of expectations and reaching lows not seen since the early days of the Trump administration.
Housing starts were at a 1.14 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in March, the Commerce Department said Friday, 0.3% lower compared to February.
It missed the MarketWatch consensus of a 1.225 million seasonally adjusted annual rate and was the lowest since May 2017.
Permits fell 1.7% to a rate of 1.27 million. Economists expected a 1.3 million rate on permits.
In addition to sharing the new data, Riquier also writes about how the slow housing construction industry fits into the big picture of an economy that includes constrained supply, memories of the last recession, a tight labor market, expensive materials, and complex regulatory environments.
FULL STORY: Housing starts lurch to a near 2-year low
New Housing Construction Drops 41 Percent in San Francisco
Building permits aren't the same thing as new buildings, as San Francisco proved once again in 2018.
Construction Worker Shortage Blamed for Housing Supply Woes
Zoning and red tape gets a bad wrap in arguments that blame the housing crisis on a lack of housing supply. Another narrative credits a shortage of construction workers on the lack of housing supply in the country.
Over 71K Office-to-Apartment Units in the Pipeline for 2025
Adaptive reuse projects are continuing to bring thousands of new housing units onto the market as demand for office space remains low.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service