Housing
Basics
Why Affordable Housing Is So Important for Development Near Transit
What happens when you build housing around transit, but it's not affordable to the people who ride transit the most?
June 20, 2018
Seattle Used Bike Racks to Break Up Homeless Encampment
Public records show the racks were installed to deter homeless people from staying under a viaduct, not to help people get somewhere.
December 20, 2017
America Walks “Walking Toward Justice” Webinar: The Color of Law & Residential Segregation
A conversation about how to have uncomfortable conversations, moderated by Charles T. Brown and featuring Tamika Butler, Sahra Sulaiman, Sonia Jimenez, and author Richard Rothstein.
October 2, 2017
What If Atlanta Taxed Parking to Keep Housing Affordable?
A tax on parking could generate funds for affordable housing and transit in Atlanta. The question is whether the city has the political appetite to enact it.
July 3, 2017
Atlanta Advocates Campaign to Set Aside Some Transit Funding to Keep Housing Affordable Near New Lines
Now that new transit projects are coming to Atlanta, advocates want to ensure the people who supported the investment will be able to benefit from it. The Partnership for Southern Equity is leading a campaign to reserve 5 percent of the money from a recent ballot measure - about $120 million - for a fund to subsidize housing near transit.
June 27, 2017
Miami Beach Wants Affordable Housing, But Won’t Remove Parking to Get It
Putting housing on top of parking garages, rather than replacing car storage with housing, would be a missed opportunity for walkable Miami Beach.
June 5, 2017
The Feds’ Tentative Steps to Legalize Mixed-Use Housing Don’t Go Far Enough
For a long time, apartment buildings with ground-floor retail were the building blocks of America's cities and towns. Combining housing and commercial uses is also essential for walkability and affordability, enabling people to travel shorter distances for their daily routines and get around without driving. But in most of the country today, it's practically impossible to build or reinvest in this type of housing.
October 4, 2016
White House: Make Cities Affordable By Building for Walkability, Not Parking
The Obama administration is taking on the crisis of rising rents in American cities, releasing a series of recommendations today to spur the construction of more affordable housing. Among the many ideas the White House endorses: allowing more multi-family housing near transit and getting rid of parking minimums.
September 26, 2016
McMansions Fading Away?
Just a few months ago we were being told—erroneously, in our view–that the McMansion was making a big comeback. Then, last week, there were a wave of stories lamenting the declining value of McMansions. Bloomberg published: “McMansions define ugly in a new way: They’re a bad investment –Shoddy construction, ostentatious design—and low resale values.” The Chicago Tribune chimed in “The McMansion’s day has come and gone.” Whither are these monster homes headed?
September 13, 2016
When Cities Force Developers to Widen Roads, Everyone Loses
It's a common practice for cities to make developers widen a street when they put up a new building. The thinking is that development creates car trips that must be accommodated with more asphalt.
August 23, 2016