Housing
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Town sues Massachusetts over plans to build housing on state-owned land
Wellesley, Massachusetts, officials called the plan to build 180 housing units on a state-owned parking lot “commendable” but said the ends don’t justify the means.
By Ryan Kushner • June 12, 2026 -
Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
More cities are embracing AI permitting systems. HUD funding is available for them.
Local governments have until July 13 to apply for up to $3 million in grants for automated permitting and building code systems.
By Ryan Kushner • June 11, 2026 -
Explore the Trendline➔
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TrendlineTop 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 -
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Seattle’s social housing experiment takes first major steps
Seattle Social Housing Developer agreed to purchase its first building and wrapped up a lottery to determine who will live there.
By Ryan Kushner • June 9, 2026 -
Courtesy of Donaldson Impact Investments
How local incentives helped clinch an apartment deal in a rent-controlled Maryland county
Investors took advantage of Montgomery County’s by-right Payment in Lieu of Taxes program to buy a multifamily building that will be converted to a mixed-income affordable housing community.
By Leslie Shaver • June 8, 2026 -
Robyn Griggs Lawrence/Smart Cities Dive
Mayors speak with one voice: Housing tops nation’s urban agenda
At the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ annual meeting, bipartisan mayors from cities of all sizes called affordable housing their most pressing challenge and urged Congress to pass the ROAD to Housing Act.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • June 5, 2026 -
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Illinois governor vows continued housing push as statewide zoning proposal hits a wall
The Illinois Municipal League actively opposed the housing bill that it said would preempt local land use and zoning authority.
By Ryan Kushner • June 5, 2026 -
Permission granted by Family Promise
HUD’s point-in-time count misses this form of homelessness
Millions of people are estimated to be in “doubled-up” housing situations. Monitoring the trend could help cities prevent more of them from ending up on the street, one researcher says.
By Ryan Kushner • June 4, 2026 -
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How Charleston, South Carolina, is setting the stage for thousands of affordable homes by 2032
An “aggressive” new housing strategy includes pre-permitting city land and preapproving housing designs to fill gaps more quickly, the mayor said.
By Ryan Kushner • June 2, 2026 -
Permission granted by Frederick County, Maryland
Nominate a project for the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Community Project Awards
The awards will highlight innovation and effective use of technology to solve real community problems.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • June 2, 2026 -
Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
Homelessness dropped 3% last year after record highs: HUD
A 4% decrease in people seeking emergency shelter was the largest contributor to the decline, according to the annual report.
By Ryan Kushner • June 1, 2026 -
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A housing raffle is one community’s effort to ensure new homes go to current residents
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, created a “first-of-its-kind” public-private partnership to give residents first dibs on a new batch of single-family homes.
By Ryan Kushner • May 29, 2026 -
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Lawsuit targets fair housing rule change
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s final rule amending how the Equal Credit Opportunity Act is applied “effectively guts” fair lending protections, according to four plaintiffs.
By Gabrielle Saulsbery • May 28, 2026 -
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To expand housing, Maryland is turning to its largest landowner: itself
New laws zone land near transit for housing and delay local impact fees for developers.
By Ryan Kushner • May 28, 2026 -
Retrieved from New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development on May 27, 2026
Preapproved housing designs can cut costs — and cities are embracing them, Pew says
Front-loading the permit approval process can shave months off of preconstruction timelines and cut architectural and design costs, according to a new report.
By Ryan Kushner • May 27, 2026 -
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Municipal groups push for ROAD to Housing Act approval
The latest version of the landmark housing bill appears to be nearing the finish line in Congress and includes a “major win for counties,” one group said.
By Ryan Kushner • May 22, 2026 -
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HUD releases housing regulation ‘best practices’ for state, local governments
The recommendations follow a Trump order to cut red tape but stop short of density directives for municipalities.
By Ryan Kushner • May 21, 2026 -
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House overwhelmingly passes amended ROAD to Housing bill
Housing groups applauded the passage of the major bipartisan legislation on Wednesday and urged the Senate to approve it.
By Julie Strupp • May 21, 2026 -
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Here’s what’s changed in the revised ROAD to Housing bill
The House amended the major bipartisan housing legislation with some key differences from the Senate’s version.
By Julie Strupp • May 20, 2026 -
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NYC unveils plan to speed up affordable housing development
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing a slew of reforms that he says would shave eight months off the development process by streamlining environmental reviews, pre-development financing and permitting.
By Ryan Kushner • May 19, 2026 -
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HUD chief defends proposed budget cuts amid Senate scrutiny
Secretary Scott Turner had occasional heated exchanges with legislators as he sought approval for a 13% reduction in his agency’s fiscal 2027 budget.
By Ryan Kushner • May 18, 2026 -
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US House releases ROAD to Housing bill without build-to-rent sale mandate
The bill is “the most significant legislation to increase housing supply in years” and could provide “more housing affordability in communities across the country,” housing industry advocates say.
By Julie Strupp • May 18, 2026 -
Retrieved from Governor Gavin Newsom.
California governor proposes $500M to address homelessness — with new strings
Localities seeking Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention funding would have to demonstrate efforts to address homeless encampments in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget proposal.
By Ryan Kushner • May 15, 2026 -
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3 cities making strides in housing affordability
Ivory Innovations recognized a housing finance program in Boston and housing policies in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and New Rochelle, New York, for their ingenuity.
By Ryan Kushner • May 13, 2026 -
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HUD trims environmental reviews for multifamily projects
Streamlined standards could help ease affordability pressures nationwide, federal officials and housing industry leaders say.
By Julie Strupp • May 12, 2026 -
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Illinois cities push back on state proposal to bypass local zoning
After Gov. JB Pritzker proposed sweeping statewide housing measures, municipal groups say they’re expanding housing options on their own terms.
By Ryan Kushner • May 11, 2026
