September 3: What we’re reading this week
Some articles we found interesting this week:
HOA restrictions are a largely overlooked barrier to those in need of affordable housing options. A new Texas law now prohibits HOA’s from discriminating against renters using vouchers. From Bloomberg.
While we have occasionally criticized local media coverage, this PBS North Carolina story comparing Raleigh’s BRT plans and Charlotte’s light rail system, particularly the focus on the difficulty in obtaining consistent funding for transit infrastructure projects, is well done.
When it comes to rising costs, affordable housing developers face an even more difficult task than market-rate developers because they cannot recoup higher costs by simply raising rents. This short article offers some perspective on these difficulties.
Could Building Bike Lanes Become America’s Next Big Infrastructure Project? And continuing with the bike theme, bikeshare continues growing across America, per Bloomberg.
Montgomery County, Maryland has been a leader in developing and implementing comprehensive housing affordability policies since the 1970’s. This NYT article explores a new effort to have the County act as a “benevolent real estate investor.”
A New Louisville Ordinance Aims to Block Public Funds from Being Used to Aid Gentrification. Read more.
Goodbye Bathtub and Living Room. America’s Homes are Shrinking, via the Wall Street Journal. But for a contrary view, “Houses are Still Big. Prices are Much Bigger, via the New York Times.
Housing inventory is tighter than ever. In fact, there are 18% fewer homes for sale now than a year ago. Read more.
Can Tiny House Villages be a fix to Homelessness? More from Bloomberg. Here is a similar concept in Ohio, via the New York Times.
Jane Jacobs: 4 Rules of Fostering Good Urbanism, via Southern Urbanism.
Urban Highways Cost Billions in Lost Home Values and Property Taxes, via Bloomberg.
Long Read: California passed legislation in 2018 designed to streamline the housing entitlement process when developers met certain conditions like including affordable housing. Here is a review of the impacts of that legislation after 5 years.
From the Data Department:
The Fed’s Home Ownership Affordability Monitor shows housing affordability continues to deteriorate dropping to its lowest level since October.
If you are interested in understanding urban density, take a look at this visualization.