Cities across the country are committed to making it easier to build housing and are taking a variety of promising approaches, note the leaders of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But they must be bolstered by federal investment and flexibility.
The city’s planning office won’t approve conversion of single-family properties into multiple units in six neighborhoods. The desire to protect Latino neighborhoods from gentrification runs counter to the city’s housing goals.
Governors, mayors and finance officers are treading water, awaiting the outcome and impact of a new Washington regime’s vows to slash federal spending and taxes. Meanwhile, state and municipal budgeters and debt managers will need to make intelligent guesses and pay more attention to their rainy-day funds.
State officials face challenges from shrinking revenue and major changes from Washington in shared programs such as education and Medicaid.
State policymakers face a more challenging budget environment, even as they navigate policy questions in areas such as AI, insurance, environment, housing and much more.
The model, which has been gaining popularity throughout the U.S., presents an opportunity for direct state investment in affordable housing without relying on uncertain federal funds.
Eight states and the U.S. Justice Department have sued over the practice. The company whose software is used by many landlords says it helps renters as well.
The school board is considering a plan to use five of its properties to build 1,000 affordable housing units. It’s a strategy more California districts are pursuing.
Critics of liberalizing housing construction are concerned that looser zoning rules could make existing houses more expensive. Fortunately, this worry is somewhat overblown.
With a fifth of the nation’s office space sitting empty, cities from Atlanta and Seattle are easing or ending regulations to make conversions more affordable and therefore more likely.
After tearing down high-rises and building more townhomes, the city is trying a mixed-used approach that blends towers with other amenities.
The approach, mostly adopted in Central Florida municipalities, allows prosecutors to waive court sentences in exchange for homeless people getting treatment, housing and jobs.
The Salt Lake City Public Library's in-house social workers and suite of other services help the unhoused find their way.
The county has spent billions on homeless programs only to see problems worsen. A proposal from two county supervisors would create a new department to consolidate and oversee services.
More than half of California renters spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing, making it the fifth-highest rate in the country. But a measure that would have lifted restrictions on local rent control failed this month by 22 points.
Thanks to a celebrated book, we know all about Robert Moses’ dictatorial misdeeds in New York City. But the truth is that many of his worst visions were being realized in cities across the country.
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