Housing Crisis

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Cupertino, California

Apple Pledges $2.5 Billion for Housing Affordability

It's been a big year for tech giants pledging money to mitigate the affordability crisis in the regions and cities they call home. Apple joins a club that includes Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.

November 4, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Millennium Tower

Office Development Fee to Fund Affordable Housing Approved in San Francisco

A new fee would add an estimated 6 percent to the cost of building new office space in San Francisco, yet not many from the business community resisted the new costs.

November 3, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Skid Row Los Angeles

Homelessness Fuels a Backlash in California

The Golden State's ongoing homelessness crisis has residents on edge and is testing the limits of empathy in a state known for its liberal values.

November 1, 2019 - The New York Times

Affordable Rental Housing

Distinguishing the Housing Shortage from Gentrification

Gentrification "mutates particular neighborhoods" while scarce housing "squeezes entire regions," Devin Michelle Bunten writes. Conflating the two can lead to inaccuracies in understanding.

November 1, 2019 - CityLab

facebook

Facebook Offers $1 Billion to Ease California's Housing Affordability Crisis

Facebook joins as Google in the $1 billion club, though this club plans to spend that money on housing programs to help alleviate the exploding cost of housing in the state of California.

October 22, 2019 - The Mercury News

South Mall Parking Lot

How Parking Reform Could Relieve the Housing Crisis

The benefits of equitable mobility policy will extend to equitable housing outcomes, according to this article published by Sidewalk Labs.

October 22, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Construction

Research Reveals the Growth of Home Building Oligopolies

New research reveals an "unseen force" in the housing crisis: consolidation of home building capital and land ownership.

October 20, 2019 - The Washington Post

Granny Flat

New Laws Amount to Single-Family Zoning Ban in California

For years, the California legislators have been passing bills to allow accessory dwelling units on single-family residential lots. These laws haven't attracted the same attention as other failed laws, but their effect is significant.

October 14, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Tiny House

The Downsides of Tiny House Living

Advocates argue the array of small dwelling options provide much-needed affordable housing. But, living in these units, many of which are extremely small, isn't the alternative many people would choose.

October 7, 2019 - Fast Company

Shotgun Homes, New Orleans

Affordable Housing Losing Ground in New Orleans

For the second year in a row, New Orleans is losing more affordable housing than it is creating, according to a recent report published by HousingNOLA.

October 1, 2019 - The New Orleans Advocate

Single Family Residential Construction

Not Enough Housing, Or Too Much of the Wrong Kind

Permits for new housing continue to lag despite a long economic boom. For coastal metros, it's a familiar story of job growth outpacing new construction. In some Sun Belt cities, sprawl is the bigger concern.

September 27, 2019 - CityLab

Exurban Development

Exurban Sprawl Picking Up Where the Great Recession Left Off

Despite the environmental effects of exurban sprawl, Northern California's housing shortage is being alleviated on the extreme edges of the San Francisco Bay Area.

September 24, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rent

Washington Post Editorial Sides With Economists on Rent Control

The Washington Post Editorial Board responds to the growing wave of approved and proposed rent control measures—from Oregon and California to the campaign platform of Bernie Sanders.

September 24, 2019 - The Washington Post

Post Card Images

The Psychic Forces of NIMBY Rage

With several years of contentious political debates, many surrounding homelessness, ravaging Seattle, a writer attempts to explain how the politics of city building got so heated.

September 23, 2019 - Crosscut

California Houses

California's Housing Crisis—No End in Sight

This past year looked promising in terms of opportunities to tackle the state’s housing woes. But most measures failed and the problem is just growing.

September 20, 2019 - Rolling Stone

California State Capital

Statewide Rent Control, Eviction Protections Adopted in California

It's been a historic year for rent control on the West Coast, as California joins Oregon as the first states to approve statewide rent control laws.

September 13, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Oakland California Road

California Cities That Plan Housing Might Now Have to Build it

If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 as expected, downzonings, density reductions, housing construction moratoriums, and housing caps will become illegal.

September 11, 2019 - The Orange County Register

NIMBY Sign

New Research Ties Lack of Density to Lack of Affordability in California

New research using the Terner Center California Residential Land Use Survey also connects demographic trends to housing development opposition.

September 6, 2019 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Old Timey Ticky Tacky

Unlocking the Market for Affordable Homeownership with Private Capital

Charles Loveman, executive director of Heritage Housing Partners, explains the historical role that subsidized demand played in spurring housing production and the value of low to moderate-income affordable homeownership development.

September 5, 2019 - The Planning Report

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Appetite for ADUs Rises in San Jose

San Jose has issued a steadily-rising number of ADU permits in recent years. Now, Mayor Sam Liccardo has implemented measures to ease the process for homeowners who want to build granny flats.

August 30, 2019 - The Mercury News

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