June 2: What we’re reading this week
Some articles we found interesting this week:
Like the United States, Denmark is one of the very few countries that allows 30-year fixed mortgages. Because so many Americans are locked into very low mortgage rates, there is even more downward pressure on housing supply. However, Denmark uses a unique bond finance tool to help alleviate this unfortunate byproduct of this “lock-in effect.”
Raleigh recently announced a pilot project try help alleviate tent encampments. Here is a Vox article that discusses a similar approach.
Raleigh is studying Montgomery, Maryland’s cutting-edge approach to financing and building affordable housing. Here is a recent article discussing the program in the New York Times.
Even Singapore’s robust public housing system is facing an affordability crisis, the New York Times reports.
As communities strive to rebuild community trust and social capital, the idea of a “polis station” that combines public safety elements into a mixed-use public amenity seems promising. From Politico.
This is a great article supporting the idea that upzoning to allow 3-5-story buildings across large swaths of a city can have great “context-appropriate” urban density, via Bloomberg.
Returning to the idea of “housing as a verb.”
Less affordable housing is a windfall for current homeowners. Read it from Southern Urbanism.
Here is more support for Raleigh’s recent Missing Middle reforms combined with the elimination of minimum parking requirements, via Sightline.
Here is another reason to end housing insecurity-it impairs educational outcomes for children from the Urban Institute.