April 30: What we’re reading this week
Some articles we found interesting this week:
Here is an interesting survey of the fastest-growing NC local governments produced by the NC League of Municipalities and the Association of County Commissioners. It explores how these jurisdictions are coping with rapid population growth and offers some suggested regulatory reforms aimed at reducing the cost of entitlements.
There's been a "flurry" of NC housing bills. What's in them, and what might pass? This WUNC article takes a look.
The issue of rent control arose in Raleigh when several City Councilors posted on Twitter their support for a rent control bill filed in the General Assembly (which is unlikely to pass). Cities that have implemented rent control remain some of the most unaffordable cities in the world (i.e., New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco). While the debate continues in NC, here is a study recently released by the City of Minneapolis which recommends against imposing rent control. And here is an article discussing the report’s findings.
As Raleigh starts moving the New Bern Avenue BRT route from the planning stage to the construction stage, it will be interesting to see how funding decisions are made for future routes, as well as commuter rail. The Incredible Shrinking Transit Plan, via Bloomberg.
Virginia is studying the possibility of using public land for housing for public employees. Read about it in Shelterforce.
Where are all the apartments for families? Read it from Vox.
Here is more research suggesting that relaxing zoning rules (i.e., Raleigh’s Missing Middle reforms) can sharply reduce the rate of rental increases.
And here is a contrary view about housing and affordability as it relates to relaxed zoning rules, from Bloomberg.
Here is an article exploring how cities, while impacted by the pandemic, remain resilient.
Rethinking single-family living: Roommates pay bills, create community: Yes, it requires some navigating with space and schedules, but families who take in renters say it's worth the effort. Via the Washington Post.
When Your Neighbors Become Your Overlords: How HOAs became an unnecessary necessary evil, via Vox.
Here is a nice article from the NC State School of Design that broadly explores housing affordability issues.