Housing construction

Red and yellow surfboards leaning against fence in Maui, Hawaii.

Surf’s Upcycling: Hawai‘i’s Latest Green Building Material is Recycled Surf Boards

“Surf Blocks” are fire-resistant, termite-proof, and close the loop on mountains of waste from the state’s beloved sport.

March 19, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Vacant interior of open plan office with large buildings and stacked wood planks on floor.

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.

February 12, 2025 - RentCafé

White Waymo autonomous vehicle in parking area in San Francisco, California with Ghirardelli vintage sign in background.

Robotaxi Charging Lots Could Complicate San Francisco Housing Development

Multiple sites slated for housing development are now being turned into charging and storage lots for autonomous vehicles, making housing an unintended victim of the robotaxi revolution.

January 27, 2025 - San Francisco Chronicle

A new house is under construction with the walls and the roof installed but only the frames and trusses, respectively.

Feds Annouce $100 Million for Housing and Zoning Reform Programs

The program is aimed at helping local and state governments spur housing construction by reducing regulatory barriers.

August 14, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

View of buildings under construction and cranes in San Francisco, California.

San Francisco Must Streamline Permitting Process

After failing to meet state targets for housing production, the city must create a shorter permitting process under a 2023 state law.

July 3, 2024 - KQED

Wall of colorful sneakers for sale at a shoe store.

Explaining the Housing Market via Footwear

What the shoe industry can teach us about the housing crisis.

January 3, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial view of suburb outside Dallas, Texas with large single-family houses with enclosed backyards and green lawns.

The Rise of Zoning Reform

As the housing affordability crisis spread from mainly coastal cities to the rest of the nation, cities and states are taking a serious look at outdated zoning codes that hamper efforts to build more housing.

November 29, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

View of downtown Seattle with construction cranes and cloudy sky as seen from top of Space Needle.

Seattle Council Rejects Transportation Impact Fee

Councilmembers who opposed the proposal say the fee would have slowed housing development and raised housing costs.

November 28, 2023 - The Registry

View of large empty parking garage

Parking Reform is Sweeping the Country. Does it Work?

A new study shows a significant reduction in housing construction costs in cities that have reduced or eliminated minimum parking requirements.

October 12, 2023 - Bisnow

Wood-frame houses under construction.

California Impact Fees Reach Supreme Court

An upcoming ruling could have a major impact on building and development in California and around the country.

October 4, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Empty asphalt parking lot with white lines.

Fairfax County Approves Parking Reform

The new parking policy creates a new, tiered framework for parking requirements and reduces the required number of parking spots near transit.

October 3, 2023 - DCist

A new house is under construction with the walls and the roof installed but only the frames and trusses, respectively.

Post-Pandemic Home Building Trends: More Bedrooms, Smaller Homes

U.S. homes are adding bedrooms while getting smaller, according to two seemingly contradictory articles published on the same day from different data sources earlier this month.

August 30, 2023 - Bloomberg

White modular home being built on dirt mound

An Argument for Uniform Pre-Fab Construction Standards

Industry leaders say a national set of standards for off-site construction of modular housing would boost the affordable housing stock and make construction faster.

August 17, 2023 - Governing

Row of new contemporary rowhouses in Austin, Texas

Report: Why It Costs so Much to Build Housing in Austin

The study highlights high real estate costs as well as restrictive zoning regulations and building requirements that delay multi-family construction.

August 9, 2023 - Community Impact Newspaper

View of top of high-rise apartment building under construction with red and white cranes

The Relationship Between Rents and Housing Supply

Despite a strong belief in market forces in many other aspects of the economy, many Americans don’t see a correlation between housing supply and housing costs.

August 9, 2023 - New York Magazine

Colorful "atx" sign in front of Whole Foods store in Austin, Texas

Austin Could Reduce Minimum Lot Sizes

In an effort to increase housing production and bring down housing costs, the city council approved a resolution calling for reduced lot sizes and higher density in single-family neighborhoods.

July 24, 2023 - The Architect's Newspaper

Brown and yellow two-story apartment buildings in Austin, Texas

Austin Council Proposes Multi-Family Affordable Housing Program

The proposal would permit larger buildings on single-family lots.

June 13, 2023 - Austin Monitor

Downtown Dallas

Vacant Lot Development Could Bring 100,000 New Housing Units to Dallas

Building on the roughly 76 million square feet of vacant land already zoned for multifamily housing could create badly needed rental housing units and slow the growth of rent prices.

May 30, 2023 - RentCafé

Google street view of vacant lot used for parking and surrounded by chain link fence and shrubbery in East New York

New Yorkers Need Land. NYPD is Sitting on Nearly 150 Lots.

A new map reveals how much land in New York City is being wasted by city police—often sitting vacant, rather than serving the public good.

May 23, 2023 - Shelterforce Magazine

San Francisco, California

Backlash to San Francisco Development Spotlights City’s Conflicting Priorities

Residents of the Bayview neighborhood say they support new housing, but object to a proposed building that would replace one of the area’s only green spaces.

March 15, 2023 - San Francisco Examiner

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.

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