Affordable Housing

What Is Affordable Housing?
The term affordable housing refers to housing units that cost less than a predetermined percentage of household incomes. Planners use affordable housing as a general term to describe housing that doesn't put an excessive financial burden on occupants.

Planning Trends to Watch in 2021
The nation is now tasked with the challenge of changing course in the middle of multiple, global crises. The necessity of finding a way to overcome the failures of the past and lay the groundwork for a new kind of future has never been more clear.

Opinion: Public Housing Won't Solve the Affordability Crisis
Seeking repeal of the Faircloth Amendment could be a needless distraction in the new administration's efforts to create more affordable housing, according to an article by Jenny Schuetz for the Brookings Intitution.

San Francisco's Housing Crisis is Deepening, Despite Falling Rents
Despite the purported exodus of untethered Silicon Valley workers from the Bay Area, rents in the city are still the highest in the United States.

Report: California's Affordable Housing Allocation Favors Wealthy Coastal Cities
A combination of factors including a lengthy appeals process and the cost of construction have led to huge disparities in the number of units allocated to each community.

How Atlanta Plans to Overhaul Zoning for Housing Affordability
The "Atlanta City Design: Housing" initiative is one of the most ambitious planning reform efforts of any large U.S. city, but it's just getting started.

Amazon and Other Tech Giants Make Billion-Dollar Commitments to Affordable Housing
Some of the world's biggest companies are investing in affordable housing, hoping to stymie the growing crisis their growth has contributed to.

$1.4 Billion Housing Redevelopment Project Moves Forward in Boston
The 80-year-old Bunker Hill public housing complex will be replace according to a plan approved recently by the Boston Planning and Development Agency.

$100 Million to Preserve Transit Oriented Affordable Housing in Atlanta
Atlanta continues its commitment to ensuring affordable housing supply in the city, announcing the most recent in a series of funded programs earlier this month.

Affordable Housing for LGBTQ Seniors
LGBTQ elders are more likely than their age-peers to have experienced discrimination, leaving them more likely to be poor and have chronic health problems. LGBTQ-friendly senior housing aims to provide a safe and supportive place to age.

What is Affordable Housing?
The term affordable housing refers to housing units that cost less than a predetermined percentage of household incomes. Planners use affordable housing as a general term to describe housing that doesn't put an excessive financial burden on its occupants.

Small Cities Relax Accessory Dwelling Units Regulations Too
A city of about 40,000 residents across the Puget Sound from Seattle has relaxed zoning regulations to entice more homeowners to build accessory dwelling units.

Housing First; Cars Last
Underutilized parking lots are a costly waste. By managing parking more efficiently, cities can free up land to house people rather than cars.

First Wave of Affordable Housing Bonds Ratified in Atlanta
A down payment on a $100 million investment in affordable housing is moving forward in Atlanta.

Smart Growth C'est Bon!
Compact infill development can create affordable, inclusive and attractive cities, like Montreal, "plus belle ville au monde."

Upzoning Isn't a Silver Bullet for Housing Affordability
Zoning changes have been a popular way to increase density and affordable housing, but more diversified policies could fill in the gaps where zoning fails.

Residential Development Tax to Fund Affordable Housing Programs
Philadelphia's city council passed the city's first-ever residential development impact tax, a plan that could boost the city budget by $9 million a year.

Citywide Zoning Reform Approved in Everett
Few cities are accomplishing such a swift and sweeping overhaul of its land use regulations as Everett, Washington, which just wrapped up its second major planning initiative in as many years on its way to launching a third.

New California Bond Program Promotes Affordability for Middle-Income Renters
The California Statewide Communities Development Authority hopes that a new program, which helps cities purchase rental properties with no upfront cost, will lead to an increase in affordable middle-income housing.

Arts-Oriented Land Trusts Preserve Affordable Cultural Spaces
A community land trust in San Francisco is buying up properties with the goal of preserving affordable spaces for arts and culture.
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