Pandemic Depression

Federal Rent Relief Is a Public Health Imperative
To ensure families stay in their homes and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government should extend the CDC's eviction moratorium and other rent relief measures through the new year.

What's in the New Economic Stimulus Package for U.S. Transit Agencies
A new economic stimulus package that appears headed for approval as of this writing will give $15 billion to public transit, far less than transit advocates had hoped, but far better than nothing.

How 2020 Changed the Rental Market
A new report by RentCafé reveals the extent of the pandemic's influence on the rental market—so far.

Automobile Dependency: An Unequal Burden
Automobile-dependent planning has changed automobiles from a luxury into a necessity. Excessive vehicle costs leave many households without money to purchase essential food, shelter and healthcare. They need more affordable transportation options.

Highway Boondoggles Continue as the Pandemic Stresses Budgets at Every Level of Government
U.S. PIRG has released the latest edition of the Highway Boondoggles report, the sixth edition of the report published since 2014.

More Transit Agencies Propose Cuts; Congress Finally Takes Notice
The stakes in the economic stimulus package under consideration on Capitol Hill this week are incredibly high.

The Transit Catastrophe Continues: San Francisco, D.C. Forecast Service Cuts, Layoffs
Advocates have been waiting for the other shoe to drop as transit agencies deal with cratered revenues during the pandemic without support from Congress.

Thanksgiving Air Travel Breaks Pandemic Records
As expected, air travel in the United States reached heights not seen since before the pandemic, but still fell well short of the norm.

The State of Commercial Corridors (And How to Protect Them During the Pandemic)
The pandemic is accelerating recent trends in commercial real estate with potentially catastrophic consequences for the commercial corridors that play such a fundamental role in the urban fabric.

The 'Marshall Plan for Middle America' Plans $600 Million in Clean Energy Investments
A coalition of leaders in the Appalachian region recently released the "Marshall Plan for Middle America" to create jobs and transition the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky away from fossil fuels.

National Rent Debt Projected to Reach $7.2 Billion by the End of 2020
The weight of the pandemic is hanging around millions of renters' necks.

How California Plans to Slow the Corporate Takeover of the Residential Market
The state of California is trying to prevent a repeat of one of the most significant consequences of the Great Recession: large Wall Street interests buying for-sale housing in bulk for conversion to apartments.

The CARES Act Was Supposed to Protect NJ Tenants from Eviction. It Didn’t.
State activists say eviction cases were filed in violation of the CARES Act’s ban on evictions. Pre-trial settlement conferences are further complicating the situation.

Real Estate Defaults Are Coming. Don’t Waste Them.
Here’s what the federal government should do to grab the opportunity to create affordable housing.

Tracking the COVID-19 Eviction Crisis
Advocates have sounded alarms since the pandemic's outset about the potential for unprecedented waves of evictions as Americans deal with the economic consequences of the pandemic, but authoritative real-time data on the rental market is lacking.

Pandemic Uncertainties Could Push Even More Black Residents Out of the Urban Bay Area
Add the coronavirus pandemic to an already deeply troubled housing market and the Bay Area has a recipe for even more displacement in a region already facing a massive demographic shift.

Rents Falling, Vacancies Spiking: The NYC Rental Market Is Shifting
The rental market is triggering metrics not seen since the depths of the Great Recession, according to a new report on the state of the rental market in three New York City boroughs.

Architecture Billings Show a Modest Rebound
Many architecture firms are still struggling, but the industry, a bellwether for planning and the larger economy, has recovered a little from the lows of the spring and summer months.

3 Cities That Will Thrive Post-Pandemic—and 2 That Might Struggle
The most promising cities after COVID won't necessarily be the same that were ideal before.

Big Tech Bets on the Big Apple
Amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic, the four biggest U.S. technology companies have leased or bought enough office space in New York City for 22,000 employees.
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