Local municipalities are offering housing incentives to draw employees and help them live closer to their jobs.
"Cities, counties and school districts are starting to offer housing incentives to attract -- rather than force -- their employees to live where they work. These new benefits are particularly prevalent in expensive areas where lower- and middle-income employees are being priced out of the housing market," report Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene.
Fairfax County in Virginia, for example, provides housing in a 270-unit apartment building near county offices to employees. San Antonio is using a different strategy by offering zero-interest loans to workers who want to purchase homes downtown and in the city.
"Although these housing incentives draw more public employees to live where they work, the gains are limited by what the municipalities can afford," note Barrett and Greene. In addition, the demand has far exceeded the supply, they say.
FULL STORY: WANTED: Public Employees Who Live Where They Work
In San Antonio, Planning Ahead for Affordable Housing
The city anticipates significant population growth in the coming decades, and it has put a funding plan into action to ensure affordable housing doesn’t fall by the wayside.
Public Housing at a Crossroads
Housing authorities in cities like San Antonio are turning to public-private partnerships and mixed-income development, but do these projects exclude the households who need housing assistance most?
Commentary: San Antonio Needs ‘Thoughtful Reforms’ to Improve Affordability
The growing Texas city needs a new approach to meet its residents’ housing and mobility needs.
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