Affordable Housing

Obama Administration Proposes $1 Billion for Affordable Housing Fund

The $1 billion proposed by the Obama Administration for affordable housing would be the first allotment to the National Housing Trust Fund, created in 2008. Is $1 billion enough?

March 10, 2014 - Reuters - U.S.

Dallas Housing Department Scrutinized

A recent federal investigation into civil rights violations has given way to calls for a reorganization. A recent editorial examines the ways the Dallas Housing Department is failing.

March 9, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

New Motto for Nonprofit Housing: The Impossible Takes a Little Longer

Nonprofit housing developers are able to succeed at what often seems impossible. Nonprofits all want the projects done faster and better, but is all the well-meaning input from the activists and intellectuals just more mud in in a dragging field?

March 4, 2014 - Rooflines

Sunnyside Queens

Affordable Housing in New York City—What’s Next

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has set a lofty goal of creating or preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing in New York City. How can the mayor's team deliver on that promise?

February 20, 2014 - Edward Poteat

Game Changer for Housing Nonprofits: REITs

Tired of not closing deals to preserve affordable housing due to delays in public financing, the nonprofit Housing Partnership Network created a real estate investment trust. The results have been "game changing."

February 16, 2014 - NPR

Are Social and Economic Justice Planning Outcomes?

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Planning Commission Chair Carl Weisbrod while promising planning decisions that produce economic and social justice benefits. The question is to what degree planning can influence those outcomes.

February 15, 2014 - TransitCenter

De Blasio Selects Planning Director

Mayor Bill de Blasio has selected Carl Weisbrod, the co-chairman of his transition team and a veteran New York City real estate executive to be the Chair of the City Planning Commission, aka Planning Director. Housing affordablity will be a priority.

February 10, 2014 - The New York Times N.Y. / Region

Gentrification Also Hurts Shrinking Cities

Recent research calls for policies to incentivize affordable housing in the urban cores of shrinking cities like Buffalo and Cleveland, lest gentrification drive low income residents away from the resources and efficiencies found in urban density.

January 29, 2014 - PhysOrg

How Realistic are de Blasio's Affordable Housing Goals?

Mayor de Blasio's goal of building or preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years goes beyond what previous mayors have been able to achieve. How realistic are his chances of reaching this "lofty goal"?

January 24, 2014 - Jonathan Nettler

Bed Stuy in the snow

NYC Lost 40% of its Affordable Housing Over the Last Decade

A new study by the Community Service Society has found that New York City lost an astonishing percentage of apartments affordable to low-income residents over the past decade. The study supports Mayor de Blasio's "tale of two cities" narrative.

January 13, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Developer Deals Shortchange Affordable Housing Program in Boston

With little outside oversight, Boston's powerful yet secretive Redevelopment Agency has squandered millions of dollars that were supposed to help build affordable housing by cutting deals with developers and allocating funds to other uses.

January 7, 2014 - The Boston Globe

San Francisco Explores Several Ways to Relieve Housing Pressure

Building on public lands and tweaking the city's inclusionary housing program are just two of the options being considered by San Francisco leaders and housing advocates to help alleviate the city's growing affordability crisis.

December 31, 2013 - San Francisco Examiner

NYC Will Pursue Place-Based Approach to Addressing Inequality

In remarks delivered last week, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's choice as New York's deputy mayor for economic development and housing hinted at how the city plans to tackle affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.

December 30, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

Developers Bet that Micro Apartments Will Work in Smaller Cities

The relatively low cost of micro apartments in high rent cities such as N.Y. and San Francisco makes them a feasible alternative for singles, but will they attract millennials in smaller, lower-rent cities like Providence, Cleveland and Worcester?

December 26, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

Are Small Apartments Hazardous to Your Health?

The growing trend in "micro" living seeks to fill a need for affordable housing in dense and desirable urban environments. But what are the downsides to living in such small spaces? Health experts are raising red flags.

December 21, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

De Blasio Looks to Spread Progressive Message Beyond New York

While NYC's outgoing mayor looks to spread the gospel of his city-making success stories, the city's next mayor is already seeking allies from across the country to help solve some of the challenges overlooked by the current administration.

December 17, 2013 - Bloomberg Politics

New Report Recommends a Regional Solution to S.F.'s Affordability Crisis

Could Silicon Valley play a key role in alleviating San Francisco's growing affordability crisis? That's among the suggestions put forth in a new report from SPUR that outlines specific ways that San Jose could attract young professionals.

December 13, 2013 - SFGate

Did the Community Get Too Much out of the Atlantic Yards Deal?

In a recent filing, Forest City Ratner reported that it will lose $250-$350 million of its initial investment in the Atlantic Yards project. Higher-than-expected costs to build affordable housing, among other things, are being blamed for the loss.

December 13, 2013 - Next City

Developer Buys Affordable Housing Complex in D.C....to Preserve It?

The Rose Green Cities Fund has purchased an affordable housing complex in a gentrifying area of D.C., not to capitalize on rising prices but to protect affordable ones. Unlikely, you say? The Fund's mission is to preserve affordable housing.

December 12, 2013 - The Washington Post

Rising Rents Burden Record Number of Americans

Rising rents, stagnant incomes and the effects of the recession have pushed a record number of Americans to take on hazardous housing cost burdens, says a new report. Low-income renters are especially vulnerable.

December 10, 2013 - The Washington Post

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