There's plenty of housing available in Downtown L.A. for the wealthy but, while those apartments sit empty, many looking for housing find costs too high to pay.

High vacancy rates in Downtown L.A.'s residential units have lead landlords to offer parking deals and months of free rent. "Thanks to a wave of market-rate rental construction, supply has outpaced demand downtown since 2014. The vacancy rate now hovers around 12 percent — the highest recorded by real estate research firm CoStar Group since 2000," Josie Huang reports for KPCC.
At the same time, the city is home to a worsening homeless crisis.
"Because zoning updates have made it easier to build taller and denser, and there is not the same level of neighborhood opposition seen in other parts of L.A. High-rises are going onto surface parking lots," Huang writes. Some hope that these vacancies will lead to lower rents, but so far there is little evidence of that effect, perhaps, because of the type of housing. "All the market-rate apartments sitting unoccupied in the interim, however, irritate housing advocates such as Thelmy Perez, given California's shortage of affordably-priced homes," Huang reports.
FULL STORY: As DTLA vacancies rise, landlords increase breaks on rent, parking

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope
Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects
The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.
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