Focus Archive - Housing

Please note that Focus section links were valid at the time of their original posting. However, since Web sites and addresses change frequently, we cannot guarantee that all links will remain operative.

Nimbyism on the Apartment Front: Danger Signals for Us All (September 08)
If city after city continues to shoot down economically viable rental housing projects, where exactly we are going to accommodate the expected growth in this country in the coming decades? More from Citiwire.

Where & How Will We Live? (August 04)
Six leaders in residential real estate development discuss U.S. housing development trends. More from Urban Land.

The Homeless Get Homes (July 15)
Tempe and Maricopa County in Arizona are testing a long-term solution to getting the homeless off the streets and into homes. More from Governing's Idea Center.

Foreclosures Point to Waning of the Suburban Era, Study Says (July 07)
Development is shifting to cities more strongly than most Americans realize, a new book asserts. More from New urban News.

Housing Costs Devour More Family Budgets (June 28)
18.6 million American households –renters and homeowners alike – spend more than half their income on housing. More from City Limits.

Impact Fee Cuts Increase Housing Affordability (May 26)
In markets across the country where new housing construction has grounded to a halt over the last few years, local governments are experimenting with reducing the fees they charge developers in an effort to stimulate new housing construction. More from Breakthroughs.

Back to the City (May 05)
The suburbs have lost their sheen: Both young workers and retiring Boomers are actively seeking to live in densely packed, mixed-use communities that don’t require cars. More from Harvard Business Review.

Transportation Costs Impact Housing Affordability (April 14)
When transportation costs are factored into the affordability equation, only two in five U.S. communities offer affordable housing options for average households in the nation, according to a new analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology. More from MuniNet Guide.

Transit Oriented Development Guide (April 14)
The Mixed Income Transit-Oriented Development Action Guide developed by the Center for Transit Oriented Development is an online tool designed to help local jurisdictions and planners develop strategies to create mixed income transit oriented development around planned transit stations.

Zoning and Sprawl (April 14)
It's not zoning per se that causes sprawl, it's the fact that lots of registered voters actively want sprawl and have successfully demanded rules that keep density at bay. More from Mother Jones.

Let's not Fool Ourselves on Urban Growth (April 07)
There has been a lot written lately about the return to the city. But let’s not make claims about “fundamental shifts” that are simply not supported by any realistic look at the totality of the data. More from New Geography.

New Homes are Cropping up in Cities, not Suburbs (March 31)
Today in conventional wisdom–busting news, we learn that grimy old cities are attracting more residential construction than the bright suburban frontier. More from Grist.

Case Studies for Transit Oriented Development (February 24)
A report prepared by Reconnecting America, Case Studies for Transit Oriented Development, summarizes 10 strategies being implemented by communities to encourage successful transit-oriented development.

Stemming the Tide of Homelessness (February 10)
Rapid re-housing might just be the answer to the nation's growing homelessness problem. More from Governing.

Home Sizes Continue to Shrink (February 10)
Survey data from the NAHB and Better Homes and Gardens indicates that builders and consumers are thinking smaller. More from Custom Home Online.

Fighting Foreclosures Using Emergency Management Tactics (February 03)
Local governments are building ad-hoc networks to tackle housing foreclosures. More from Governing.

Quiz: Guess the Housing Density (January 27)
Dan Zack, downtown development coordinator for Redwood City, CA, takes a Palo Alto audience through a 12-minute density quiz viewing 17 buildings - get out your pencils and guess their density. More from YouTube.

Incentives to Promote Green Affordable Housing (January 27)
Some state and local governments are adopting regulatory incentives to encourage green affordable housing development. More from Breakthoughs.

Death to Dead Ends: Will the New Suburbia Omit Cul-de-Sacs? (January 06)
As planners try to adapt the American dream to the new realities of sustainability, cul-de sacs are under attack. More from Fast Company.

Building Public Support for Affordable Housing (December 22)
A report produced by the Institute of Local Government, Building Public Support for Affordable Housing: A Toolbox for California Officials, outlines strategies that local officials can adopt to help overcome NIMBYism and to promote affordable housing development.

Homelessness in America: Finally, Glimmers of Light (November 12)
If we want to tackle health care reform–if we want to lower costs–we must tackle homelessness. More from Citiwire.

A Housing Recovery with a Solid Foundation (November 04)
Even if policy supports are ended, home affordability and shrinking inventory point to a sector on the mend. But don't expect recent price increases to continue apace. More from Business Week.

Reaction Housing (November 04)
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became obvious that America was frustratingly ill-prepared to house people displaced by a natural disaster. More from Good.

Constructing Communities Through Cohousing (October 28)
Cohousing, which is cooperatively-managed but independently-owned housing, is gaining popularity in the Northwest. More from Northwest Hub.

MRSC Services Survey (October 21)
MRSC is conducting a brief survey to assess whether or not our existing services are meeting your needs and to determine your interest in any additional services. We would appreciate your taking a few minutes to respond to these nine questions. Thank you.

Rental Housing: Its Day Returns (October 14)
Goodbye to the era of homeownership as the powerful, pervasive symbol of the American Dream. More from Nations Cities Weekly.

Spokane Neighborhood Receives National Recognition (October 14)
The American Planning Association (APA) recently announced that the Browne’s Addition neighborhood in Spokane has been designated one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2009 by APA's Great Places in America program. More from APA.

Transfer of Development Rights and Affordable Housing (October 07)
See how two communities have integrated affordable housing requirements within existing TDR programs to achieve the dual goals of affordable housing creation and open space conservation. More fom Breakthroughs.

Affordable Housing Toolbox (September 23)
An online resource created by Tompkins County, New York, Vital Communities Toolbox, catalogues a variety of planning tools that are available to assist communities in the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

Where We Want To Be (September 16)
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Where We Want To Be - Home Location Preferences And Their Implications For Smart Growth, finds that demographic and economic trends are increasing demand for communities based upon smart growth approaches while demand for sprawl housing is declining.

Smart City - Walking the Walk (August 12)
Smart City talks to economist Joe Cortright of Impresa Consulting about a new study titled "Walking the Walk" that shows how homes in more walkable neighborhoods are more valuable than those in more car-dependent neighborhoods. More from Smart City.

TOD: A Vehicle for Great Streets and Great Sidewalks (August 12)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) represents not only an opportunity to put density near transit, but possibly as importantly, to remake the public realm creating a city of great streets and great sidewalks. More from the Urbran Land Institute.

Big City Populations Survive the Housing Crunch (July 15)
America’s big cities, often considered to be the most demographically challenged part of our landscape, turn out to be survivors of the nation’s recent housing doldrums. More from Brookings.

Tools for Mixed-Income TOD (June 24)
A report from the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Tools for Mixed-Income TOD, discusses resources and strategies that local governments can bring to bear when integrating mixed-income housing within transit-oriented developments.

Facts and Findings on Foreclosures, Families, and Communities (June 24)
A new report from the Urban Institute, The Impacts of Foreclosures on Families and Communities, details what is known about how foreclosures adversely affect households and their neighborhoods — from children and the elderly to public safety and local property tax revenues.

Scaling Back to Gain Affordability (June 10)
As the economy continues to struggle, the private sector is reorganizing old business models to make housing development more affordable. More from Breaktrhoughs.

Environment - Home Improvement (June 10)
Buildings, in the electricity they use to run and the materials they require to build, are responsible for nearly half of our nation’s carbon footprint. More from Good.

Seniors and the City (June 10)
Most baby boomers hope to age in place. Should government play a role in making that happen? More from Governing.

Smart Growth? Or not so Bright Idea? (May 20)
The benefits of this high-density housing viewpoint are fast becoming a ‘given’ to planners and city governments, but studies that promote the advantages often omit the obvious disadvantages. More from New Geography.

MRSC's In Focus e-Newsletter for Councilmembers and Commissioners (May 20)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Sign them up today.

Green Loans Improve Energy Efficiency, Local Economies (May 06)
For savvy homeowners ready to improve the energy efficiency of their homes but hesitant to make the investment in today’s troubled economy, HELP is on the way. More from NACo's County News.

Agencies Collaborating: Affair of the Year (April 30)
Radical change is brewing in how Washington impacts growth and development of America’s communities. More from Citiwire.

Celebrating 75 Years of Research and Services! (April 23)
MRSC proudly continues the program begun as the Bureau of Governmental Research and Services in 1934 at the University of Washington. In honor of our organization’s 75th anniversary, we hope that you will enjoy a multimedia slideshow containing highlights of our history. Also see “Twenty-Five Years of Governmental Research and Service” prepared in honor of the Bureau’s 25th anniversary in 1959.

Improving Quality of Life with Workforce Housing (April 22)
In areas with high housing costs, a workforce housing program can provide individuals with the opportunity to own or rent a home at affordable prices in the communities where they work. More from Breakthroughs.

MRSC Blog: Selected Local Government Press Releases (April 22)
We have launched our blog containing selected local government press releases to keep you informed on new Washington local government programs and initiatives. Each entry is assigned a category (finance, planning, etc.) and a tag (wetlands, urban forestry, etc.) so you can sort them by topic. If you have not already done so, please add blog@mrsc.org to your agency's press release distribution list.

Housing Migrates Back to Cities (April 15)
An EPA study finds exurbs are losing market share while downtown corridors are making a comeback. More from Builder.

MacArthur Foundation Pumps $32 Million Into Affordable Housing (April 08)
The MacArthur Foundation recently announced it is injecting $32 million into the preservation and creation of affordable housing in the U.S. The organization is giving $9.5 million worth of grants, plus an additional $23 million in low-interest loans, to programs in 12 different states. More from Architectural Record.

Federal Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan (February 26)
One day after signing the $787 billion economic recovery package into law, President Obama announced the most expansive federal effort to date to address the current foreclosure crisis that many believe is the root cause of the economic downturn. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Degentrifying Condos (February 19)
A program in Boston preserves live/work spaces for artists in new buildings. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Incentives to Promote Infill Housing (February 12)
Developing on vacant parcels in built-out neighborhoods — infill development — has been increasingly used for residential purposes and long accepted as a means of increasing the affordable housing supply. More from Breakthroughs.

Preventing and Ending Homelessness (February 12)
A recent report from the Urban Institute, Preventing and Ending Homelessness-Next Steps, examines the current state of homelessness, how community responses are changing, what is working, and, most important, what policymakers should be doing to move forward, not backward.

Imagining the Suburban Future (February 12)
Speaking of the future of American suburbs, Herbert J Gans, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, contends that there will be no drastic changes in the next decade or even the next quarter century and that both suburban homeowners and future homeowner hopefuls will oppose any attempt to move them involuntarily to significantly higher densities.

Accessory Dwelling Units Report (February 12)
A publication prepared for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Accessory Dwelling Units: Case Study, examines the history and benefits of ADUs, and highlights six communities that have successfully implemented ADU ordinances.

Homelessness Surges as Funding Falters (February 05)
Providers to the poor try to stretch meager resources to meet growing need. More from MSNBC.

Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (February 05)
To help reduce commuting costs and make housing "truly" affordable for low-income families, local jurisdictions are increasingly turning to transit-oriented developments (TODs) that incorporate affordable housing elements. More from Breakthroughs.

Malls, the Future of Housing? (January 15)
As inner cities are starting to see condo projects go rental or remain unsold, and some new suburban subdivisions are settling into modern ghost towns as the foreclosure crisis deepens, the one bright spot in the housing market might just be here: at the mall. More from Housingwire.

Report on Successful Affordable Housing Strategies (January 15)
A new report prepared for the National Association of Home Builders, Research on State and Local Means of Increasing Affordable Housing, identifies a number of innovative land use and financial strategies being used by state and local governments to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Homeless Camps Increase Nationwide (November 25)
In January 2007, the nation's sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons numbered 671,888, according to a report released in April by the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless. More from American City & County.

Zoning for Affordability (November 25)
One of the ways that local governments regulate residential development is through minimum lot size requirements. More from Breakthroughs.

Impact Fees and Housing Affordability (October 30)
A new publication prepared for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Impact Fees & Housing Affordability, examines different impact fee programs, and provides recommendations to reduce their adverse effects on housing affordability.

Why Can't We Build an Affordable House? (October 23)
The housing market is in tatters, and house prices continue to fall precipitously in many parts of the country, so it might seem a strange time to bring up the subject of housing affordability. More from The Wilson Quarterly.

Reconsidering the Trailer Park (October 16)
A new study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development finds that manufactured housing (also known as mobile homes), despite their reputation, offer important advantages for low-income. More from CityScape.

New Report on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) (October 16)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, explores the demographics of transit-oriented development residents and employers, and their motives for locating in TODs, as well as the travel characteristics of residence before and after moving to a TOD.

Good Question! (October 02)
Regular users of this site know that we feature an "inquiry of the week" on the MRSC home page (see right-hand column). We have now incorporated a compilation of these questions and responses into the MRSC Index. The MRSC Index is a one-stop listing of all web pages, documents and inquiries that we have on any given topic. Browse the index by topic or search it by keyword.

Local Government Budget Library (October 02)
MRSC maintains an extensive collection of local government budgets organized by city, county and special purpose districts. We also link to online budgets (along with other documents and services) within the profiles that we maintain for each city and county.

Smart City - Housing/Transportation Affordability Index (September 18)
This week on Smart City, Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology discusses the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index.

Crossing the Rubicon (September 11)
On Sunday, September 07, 2008, an Administration philosophically committed to the "free market" nationalized the U.S. housing finance system. We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. More from the Urban Land Institute.

New Feature - National News Clippings (September 04)
We've added a new feature to our "Local Governments in the News" section below. Now, in addition to our regular local news source clippings, we will also be featuring news clippings from various national news sources highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts.

Teardowns and McMansions (August 28)
In an effort to protect historic neighborhoods, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has developed an online resource guide to help community leaders identify approaches and best practices for managing teardowns.

Extreme Seattle (August 28)
New demographic figures make clear what a statistical outlier Seattle is, with few families, few kids, high education, and rapid gentrification. More from Crosscut.

Home Prices Drop More Steeply Outside Cities (July 17)
In some parts of the country, house prices are dropping faster outside cities rather than inside them. NPR's Morning Edition Co-host Ari Shapiro talks to William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the housing markets that are cooling fastest, and why.

Quick Links to City/County Information (July 17)
MRSC recently expanded the types of key documents (e.g., budgets and comp plans) and services (e.g., council broadcasts and online service request forms) that we track in our "city profiles" page. Use these profiles for quick access to city and town documents and services. For county information, see our "county profiles" page.

Gentrification: Not Ousting the Poor? (July 03)
A new study conducted by University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Pittsburgh and Duke University says that the scourge of gentrification is greatly exaggerated. More from Time.

Where New Urbanism is Strong — and Where it’s Weak (June 26)
Fifteen years after its official founding, New Urbanism is growing nationwide, but in some places more than others.More from New Urban News.

Smart City - Driven to the Brink (June 26)
This week's guest on Smart City is Joe Cortright, an economic analyst for Impresa Consulting in Portland Oregon, and author of a new report, Driven to the Brink, showing how high gas prices are devaluing homes that are further away from amenity-rich city centers.

Transit Oriented Development 202: Station Area Planning (June 26)
Station Area Planning: How To Make Great Transit-Oriented Places is the first in a series of ''TOD 202'' guidebooks from Reconnecting America that promote best practices in transit-oriented development.

As Housing Market Weakens, Homes are Getting Smaller (June 26)
The downturn in the housing market, coupled with changing lifestyles, has produced a decline in the size of a typical home. More from AIArchitect.

An Age of Transformation (June 05)
America's suburbs are coming to resemble its city centres. That is both good news and bad. More from The Economist.

Soon You Won't Be Able to 'Drive Until You Qualify' (May 29)
When gasoline costs $5 a gallon, and diesel $6, who is going to buy a house in the exurbs? More from the California Planning & Development Report.

Receive RSS Feeds of In Focus (May 23)
We’ve added another option for you to receive information from MRSC: RSS Feeds. Simply click on the RSS button to create an “MRSC In Focus” folder in your email program or RSS reader. You will automatically begin receiving updates to our main Focus page, “Local Governments in the News,” the four Advisor columns, and our “What’s New” section. You can unsubscribe at any time by simply deleting the folder from your RSS reader or email program.

New Report Examines Impacts of Mortgage Meltdown on Rental Housing (May 15)
A new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), America’s Rental Housing: The Key to a Balanced National Policy, examines recent mortgage market events in the context of long-standing affordability problems that plague millions of renters. More from JCHS.

Driven to the Brink (May 09)
A new analysis from CEOs for Cities shows that high gas prices are not only implicated in the bursting of the housing bubble, but that the higher cost of commuting has already re-shaped the landscape of real estate value between cities and suburbs. More from CEO's for Cities.

Housing + Transportation Affordability Index (May 01)
A new interactive mapping website launched by the Center for Neighborhood Technology in partnership with The Brookings Institution shows how affordability changes from neighborhood to neighborhood based on housing and transportation costs.

Homeward Bound (April 23)
Foreclosure affects more than individual families; it also can diminish the quality of life for entire neighborhoods, disrupt the local market for ownership and rental properties, and destabilize the municipal finance system. More from American City & County.

Two Faces of Foreclosure (April 23)
Mortgage meltdown is a problem everywhere. In some places, it’s a disaster. More from Governing.

New Urbanists Point the Way Forward (April 23)
The New Urbanists have changed the conversation, but they haven’t changed the world. At least, not yet. More from City Journal.

Reduction in New Housing Starts Adversely Affects Local Governments (April 09)
More than a loss of property tax revenue due to foreclosures, an ICMA survey shows that reductions in new housing starts are adversely affecting local governments. More from ICMA.

Building Green for Today’s Consumers (April 09)
Recycled materials, low-flow faucets, and upgraded mechanical systems are just some of the sustainable strategies being incorporated into green multifamily housing today. More from Multfamily Trends.

The Effects of Inclusionary Zoning on Local Housing Markets (March 27)
A new study released by the Center for Housing Policy provides local decision-makers with valuable evidence on the impacts of inclusionary zoning – a popular but often-controversial affordable housing policy. More from the Center for Housing Policy.

Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing (March 20)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has prepared an new guidebook, Creating a Task Force on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, to help state and local governments identify and reduce barriers to affordable housing.

Locate Sample Ordinances, Contracts, RFPs (March 13)
You can use MRSC's search system to locate a wide variety of local government documents. Note the new options to the right of your search results that allow you to limit your results by agency type, population range, region, form and class of government. Watch a brief tutorial to learn more about using our advanced search features.

Feeding the Meters and the Homeless (March 13)
Denver's Donation Meter Program collects change for initiatives that provide meals, job training, substance-abuse counseling, housing and other programs.

Smart City - Main Streets (February 27)
This week's guests on Smart City are on the frontlines of making cities sustainable with their work on housing, mixed use development and Main Streets.

Stemming Foreclosures: No Time to Lose (February 27)
What can America’s cities do about the tsunami of home foreclosures engulfing so many communities? More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

The Next Slum? (February 22)
The subprime crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Fundamental changes in American life may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements. More from The Atlantic.

The Walkability Revival (February 07)
Will more people who can afford suburban privacy be attracted to the noise and bustle of the urban street? More from Governing.

Cities Work to Create Aging-Friendly Communities (January 31)
In recent years, America’s cities have increasingly recognized the necessity of becoming more “aging-friendly” — places where people can live their entire lives, if they so desire. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Urban Land Institute Report on Compact Development (January 24)
A new report from the Urban Land Institute, Compact Development - Changing the Rules to Make it Happen , presents a wide-ranging assessment of tools being used throughout the country to better support compact development through visioning, planning, and new regulations.

Growing Interest in Inclusionary Zoning (January 17)
Housing experts expect interest in inclusionary zoning to grow in markets with rising home prices and strong demand for workforce housing. More from ICMA's Management Perspective.

How Green is Your House? (January 02)
No matter how green your house is it can't really be described as environmentally friendly if it's part of a sprawling neighborhood that just adds to car dependency. More from Time.

Home Foreclosures and the Local Government Tax Base (December 20)
A new report from The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL),estimates the monetary value of the losses resulting from the subprime mortgage crisis in terms of lower property value and a reduced tax base for local governments. More from CRL.

Fitting In on the Fringe (December 13)
Zoning issues and community opposition may be a factor in most building locations, but developers find that local governments are often more amenable to suburban infill development. More from Multifamily Trends.

The Case against Regional Growth-Management Planning (December 13)
A recently published report from the CATO Institute, The Planning Tax: The Case against Regional Growth-Management Planning, argues that growth-management planning makes housing unaffordable and contributes to a business-unfriendly environment that slows economic growth. More from the CATO Institute.

EPA's 2007 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement (November 20)
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the recipients of its 2007 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement including an award for the Seattle Housing Authority.

Downsize Me! Shrinking the McMansion Diet (October 17)
The McMansion phenomenon is likely to survive both the residential property slump and the popularity of green design, but communities are increasingly opting to regulate house size. More from the Architectural Record.

New Report on Housing for Working Families (October 17)
A new report from the Center for Housing Policy, "The Housing Landscape for America's Working Families, 2007," updates national trends on the number of working families paying more of their income for housing and/or living in dilapidated conditions.

America's Most Stable Housing Markets (October 10)
Forbes Magazine recently released its list of the most stable housing markets in America placing Seattle, which continues to buck national housing trends, at the top. More from Forbes Magazine.

Trend Points to Neighborhood Privatization (October 10)
While a complete change in the structure of local government is unlikely in the near future, the trend toward private neighborhood ownership is becoming increasingly evident. More from MuniNet Guide.

Place Matters (September 19)
Spatial factors and location are often missed, but critical, pieces of the puzzle in developing public and private policies that support working families. More from the Urban Institute (81 KB).

Supreme Court Upholds Pasco Rental Inspection Program (September 14)
In City of Pasco v. Shaw, the state supreme court upheld the constitutionality of a Pasco ordinance that requires that landlords obtain a business license and, as a condition for the issuance of a license, that the landlord provide a certificate of inspection. For more information see this News Alert from Foster Pepper.

Low Income Housing Assistance Reform (August 28)
A recent report from the Urban Land Institute, "Promoting Homeownership among Low-Income Households," (375 KB) argues that the United States’ current system of low-income housing assistance is biased against homeownership and suggests new policies that would allow more low-income families to become homeowners.

Denser Than Thou (August 22)
Walkability has become a far more huggable notion than density to make the case for healthier, more compact communities. More from Crosscut.

Housing the Masses (May 30)
With wages stagnant and the cost of housing inflated, less than 20 percent of American families earn enough to afford a median-price home in many East and West Coast markets, where housing the masses has become the top challenge for the 21st century. More from Urban Land.

Market Trends Favor New Urbanism (May 15)
At a time when real estate in its sprawling forms appears to be losing value more quickly than compact urban development, analyses of the market for New Urbanism and smart growth are relatively favorable. More from New Urban News.

Preservation of Affordable Homeownership (May 09)
A recent policy brief from the Center for Housing Policy, Preservation of Affordable Homeownership: A Continuum of Strategies (286KB), provides an overview of the range of mechanisms that local governments use to ensure that housing funds invested in affordable homeownership today are able to serve additional families into the future.

Ten Years of Smart Growth (May 09)
As of 2006, nearly 20 states have implemented smart growth-oriented directives, and many local and regional entities have also incorporated smart growth practices into their comprehensive master plans. More from Cityscape ( 275KB).

Inclusionary Zoning - Pros vs. Cons (May 01)
Smart Growth experts debate inclusionary zoning strategies in an effort to win diverse affordable neighborhoods. More from On Common Ground.

Fighting for Good, Affordable Neighborhoods (April 18)
In the battle for affordable housing, calling in the US armed forces may seem excessive — until you take a look at some of the new military neighborhoods being built. More from New Urban News.

Housing Impacts of New Urban Demographics (April 10)
A recent paper from the Brookings Institution provides a deeper understanding of trends that are impacting metropolitan America and how those trends may impact the demand for multi-family housing in the coming decades. More from Brookings.

Poll Shows Great Concern Over Affordable Housing (March 27)
More than half of Americans believe housing policy, with respect to the provision of affordable housing, is on the wrong track, according to a new Zogby America poll. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Middle-Class Dream: Rental (March 22)
Affordability problems are creeping up the income ladder, leaving even rental housing out of the reach of more middle-class families. More from Apartment Finance Today.

Breaking the Density Deadlock (March 07)
A local government that denounced density in blunt terms just six years ago is embracing it now. More from Governing.

Understanding Employer-Assisted Housing (February 06)
Employer-assisted housing has the potential to deliver benefits to several sectors of the community making it ideal as a stand-alone approach or one incorporated into a larger community housing strategy. More from The Commissioner.

Stuck at Home (January 31)
A vibrant local economy needs a good supply of housing for sale at lots of price points. But that’s not what’s happening right now. More from Governing.

Aging Populations Inspire 'Universal Design' Housing (January 31)
Counties and cities across the country are embracing universal design — or UD — concepts and educating their residents about the benefits. More from NACo's County News.

Affordable Housing Handbook (January 18)
The Center for Housing Policy's new publication, Increasing the Availability of Affordable Homes: A Handbook of High-Impact State and Local Solutions, identifies 22 high-impact policies that state and local leaders can implement to expand the supply of affordable homes in their jurisdictions. More from Homes for Working Families.

Revenge of the Small (January 03)
Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are creating strategies to encourage the development of modest, more affordable houses. More from Business Week.

Cities Still Struggle to Meet Local Housing Needs (December 20)
Three-fourths of local housing officials report that the spiraling cost of housing is significantly limiting the opportunities for homeownership for lower-income people and younger families, according to a State of America’s Cities Survey on Municipal Housing, released by the National League of Cities (NLC). More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Web Sightings - Innovative and Affordable Housing (December 12)
With the high cost of housing in the Puget Sound area, many jurisdictions are looking for innovative ways of providing affordable housing. This month we’ve selected sites on innovative and affordable housing.