Housing

  • Aerial shot of urban downtown
    Image attribution tooltip
    RoschetzkyIstockPhoto via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    In Colorado, most residential zoning codes block affordable housing

    Restrictive zoning laws prohibit multifamily dwellings throughout much of the state, a recent study found. 

    By • Aug. 22, 2025
  • A wooden sign that says "Canopy Court" in front of new homes.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Thrive Collaborative
    Image attribution tooltip

    Ann Arbor’s all-electric community offers a new model for net-zero living

    Veridian at County Farm stands out for its rooftop solar, heat pumps and potential community battery network. Will the local utility’s hesitation and loss of federal tax credits prevent other developers from following its lead?

    By Brian Martucci • Aug. 21, 2025
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    jamesteohart via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • A State Farm Catastrophe Response Team truck
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of State Farm
    Image attribution tooltip

    State Farm homeowners insurance rates to surge 27% in Illinois

    The move is part of a nationwide trend of premium hikes that’s making housing even less affordable. 

    By • Aug. 15, 2025
  • DOJ voluntary self-disclosure pilot program
    Image attribution tooltip
    Bo Shen via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Justice Department, Greystar reach proposed settlement on algorithmic pricing for rental housing

    Under the terms of the agreement, the nation’s largest apartment provider would be barred from using nonpublic competitor data in rent-setting software.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 13, 2025
  • Officers wearing shirts that read "police" handcuff a person.
    Image attribution tooltip
    wademcmillan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Federal legislation aims to counteract surge of local laws criminalizing homelessness

    The Housing Not Handcuffs Act would prevent federal agencies from arresting or ticketing unhoused people for living on public land.

    By • Aug. 12, 2025
  • Modern, multi-level apartment building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Cityview
    Image attribution tooltip
    Q&A

    CEQA reform opens new era for urban development in California, developer says

    Sweeping overhaul of environmental reviews eliminates “the major impediment to getting new housing built in the state,” says Sean Burton, CEO of LA-based apartment developer Cityview.

    By Leslie Shaver • Aug. 11, 2025
  • Workers in orange vests and caps standing on either side of an unhoused person in front of tents and tarps
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    LA County sees second year of homelessness declines, ends longstanding partnership with city of LA

    A 4% drop in homelessness signals momentum, but Los Angeles city leaders warn the county’s plan to launch its own homeless services department could threaten progress across the region.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
  • Aerial view of rooftops in a suburban neighborhood. A street curves through the houses.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Haizhan Zheng via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 takeaways from Harvard’s 2025 state of housing report

    Record unaffordability and looming federal funding cuts are driving housing uncertainty, a Joint Center for Housing Studies report warns. Here’s what local government leaders should know.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Aerial view from skyline with skyscrapers in Brooklyn downtown New York on the Hudson river
    Image attribution tooltip
    photovs via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Housing shortages hit low-income renters the hardest, Pew report finds

    While rent is stabilizing in high-growth cities, displacement and homelessness are surging in housing-constrained metros.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • an aerial view of a modern apartment building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Tyler Chartier Photography/MBH Architects
    Image attribution tooltip
    Q&A

    New Oakland, Calif., development to add 235 affordable units after nearly 10 years on hiatus

    Modular construction is a powerful strategy for maximizing efficiency in building new housing, MBH Architects director Timothy Haley says.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 5, 2025
  • a row of houses on a suburban lot
    Image attribution tooltip
    Lawrence Sawyer via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Single-family rent growth slows as new supply surges — but affordability pressures remain

    Overall prices remain high following five years of rapid growth, with some markets requiring $200,000 in annual income to comfortably rent a three-bedroom home.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 4, 2025
  • Aerial view of buildings with street running through the middle and hills in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    halbergman via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    No zoning code? That’s a problem, one Virginia city discovered.

    Procedural missteps can derail even well-supported measures to eliminate single-family zoning — a problem Charlottesville, Virginia, is now addressing.

    By Danielle McLean • July 31, 2025
  • A suburban neighborhood.
    Image attribution tooltip
    tigerstrawberry via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Senate tackles housing affordability crisis with bipartisan bill

    Mayors applauded the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act proposal to speed housing development, cut red tape and fund local innovation. 

    By • July 30, 2025
  • A brick commerical building entrance facade with a "Capitol One Bank" logo displayed above the doors.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Alamy
    Image attribution tooltip

    Capital One delivers few details on $265B community plan

    Local officials are still waiting for clarity on how the community investment proposal, part of the card issuer’s effort to acquire Discover Financial, will play out in their neighborhoods.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • July 30, 2025
  • A person secures one of two tents set up in front of a tall gate with empty lot and buildings in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Apu Gomes via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Criminalizing homelessness doesn’t work, study finds

    As federal policy shifts toward punishment, a new study calls on cities to reconsider enforcement-based approaches in favor of housing and care.

    By Lori Tobias • July 28, 2025
  • Aerial view of homes in a dense neighborhood.
    Image attribution tooltip
    KenWiedemann via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Maine clears the way for more multifamily housing, ADUs

    New laws in Maine ban parking minimums and relax zoning rules as it joins a growing list of states adopting top-down strategies to drive housing growth.

    By Danielle McLean • July 23, 2025
  • A rendering of an apartment building over a bookstore.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Moody Nolan
    Image attribution tooltip
    Q&A

    How big-box retail projects can help support affordable housing

    Architect Yanitza Brongers-Marrero looks to an upcoming Costco-anchored mixed-use project in Los Angeles as a model for financing and public benefit.

    By Mary Salmonsen • July 14, 2025
  • Sec. 179D commercial building energy efficiency deduction, Foreclosurepedia
    Image attribution tooltip
    Alex Potemkin via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    End of tax incentive in Trump’s new policy bill could derail office conversions

    Although the deduction is about making commercial buildings energy efficient, it’s been key to owners’ willingness to invest in obsolete and financially distressed properties, supporters say.

    By Robert Freedman • July 11, 2025
  • A pure white building looms in the foreground around green foliage and a bright blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    FrozenShutter via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California walks back environmental law for housing, high-speed rail

    The changes to the California Environmental Quality Act could greatly speed up the issuance of building permits.

    By Matthew Thibault • July 8, 2025
  • Austin, Texas State Capitol
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tamir Kalifa/Stringer via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    New Texas law allows apartments in some nonresidential zones

    Senate Bill 840 requires local governments to approve any project that meets its qualifications.

    By Mary Salmonsen • July 7, 2025
  • Seated men in suits and one woman laughing.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How the ‘big beautiful bill’ could impact affordable housing construction

    Low-income housing tax credits, opportunity zones and state regulation of algorithmic rent-setting tools all face changes in the massive budget bill passed by the Senate.

    By Danielle McLean • June 27, 2025
  • Horizontal shot of a wood-framed apartment complex under construction.
    Image attribution tooltip
    WendellandCarolyn via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Multifamily construction migrates to less populous areas, housing association says

    There isn’t just one catalyst behind the trend, experts say.

    By Leslie Shaver • June 24, 2025
  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development
    Image attribution tooltip
    helen89 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    HUD green retrofit grant recipients in limbo after funding upheaval

    While HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program gave out almost 270 awards, only 20 projects received funding before it was halted, according to an attorney.

    By Mary Salmonsen • June 23, 2025
  • A skyline shot of Austin, Texas, with its skyscrapers, and with the Texas State Capitol building in view.
    Image attribution tooltip
    adamkaz via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Municipalities tap AI for permitting

    Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, are using the technology to cut wait times. Honolulu promises its use also will result in faster responses.

    By Matthew Thibault • June 20, 2025
  • A red tent next to a chain link fence with barbed wire on top.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Ceri Breeze via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Proposed HUD cuts threaten local progress on homelessness

    Programs helping homeless veterans and other chronically unhoused residents could collapse without federal support, local leaders say.

    By Austyn Gaffney • June 20, 2025