Housing

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    A first-in-the-nation home repair program sees overwhelming demand

    A "gaping need" exists nationwide for programs that improve housing quality, said a senior research analyst at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

    By Kalena Thomhave • April 25, 2024
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    Are homeless encampment bans ‘cruel and unusual?’

    The Supreme Court begins to examine laws that restrict camping even when no shelter space is available as advocates for the homeless and city officials weigh in.

    By Danielle McLean • April 22, 2024
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    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 in 2024.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
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    ‘Street to home, same day’: LA’s master leasing program to tackle homelessness

    The city plans to rent out blocks of housing units and sublease them to tenants who might otherwise struggle to qualify for rentals.

    By Gaby Galvin • April 18, 2024
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    House bill aims to turn unused or underused government facilities into affordable housing

    The U.S. General Services Administration, along with two other federal agencies, would be required to report to Congress on federal properties that are suitable for residential conversion.

    By Nish Amarnath • April 15, 2024
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    Biden has proposed ‘the boldest housing plan in a generation,’ his economic advisor says

    The plan would expand tax credits for affordable housing developers, a proven way to boost supply, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard said.

    By Kalena Thomhave • April 10, 2024
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    How to ease the path to transit-oriented housing development

    Public transportation agencies “just [don’t] have the land resources on hand to make it feasible,” said the author of a recent Urban Institute analysis on funding transit-oriented development.

    By Kalena Thomhave • April 9, 2024
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    Federal affordable housing financing program gets extended

    The White House expects the move to generate 38,000 rental units over the next 10 years.

    By Danielle McLean • April 1, 2024
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    Housing subsidy for community college students launches in Maryland county

    “Stable and affordable housing is a significant determinant of academic success and economic mobility,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in support of the effort.

    By Danielle McLean • March 28, 2024
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    DC’s downtown revival plan, from office conversions to ‘neighborhood safety centers’

    Facing public safety concerns, the possible loss of two professional sports teams and costly office-to-residential conversions, Washington, D.C., officials released highlights of a proposed revitalization.

    By Danielle McLean • March 22, 2024
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    Chicago’s novel idea for paying off affordable housing, development bond

    The city plans to cut back a program that critics said kept property tax revenue in wealthier neighborhoods and diverted it from public services.

    By Danielle McLean • March 8, 2024
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    Newark, New Jersey, sells residents $1 homes to fend off corporate property buyers

    The city hopes the $1-home lottery will shore up local homeownership and combat neighborhood blight. It’s not the first community to try the strategy, and it likely won’t be the last.

    By Gaby Galvin • March 1, 2024
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    Courtesy of Riverside Investment & Development
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    5 of the largest office-to-residential conversions underway across the US

    Over 55,000 residential units are in the pipeline, concentrated in major metros.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Feb. 22, 2024
  • More than a dozen Church of God in Christ and Enterprise Community Partners representatives raise a giant check in the air to mark the launch of an affordable housing initiative.
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    Faith-based institutions take on the affordable housing crisis

    “Land-rich and cash-poor” religious institutions are among those looking at how they can meet their communities’ low-income housing needs while shoring up their finances.

    By Karen Kroll • Feb. 16, 2024
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    Q&A

    Transportation and public health ‘need to be working in collaboration with each other’

    Transportation decisions that affect public health shouldn't be made in isolation, a former CDC official says.

    By • Feb. 15, 2024
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    Washington, DC, readies tax abatement program for commercial-to-residential conversions

    The incentive provides property owners up to $2.5 million for each fiscal year from 2024 through 2026 through a provision that a local attorney describes as “critical to the lifeblood of the city.”

    By Nish Amarnath • Feb. 12, 2024
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    Chattanooga reduced its homeless population by almost 50% last year. Here’s how.

    Local advocates credit a focus on housing, an eviction prevention initiative and efforts to target services to specific at-risk groups.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Feb. 12, 2024
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    Senators introduce bill to prevent use of algorithms to raise rent

    The bill follows a series of lawsuits about whether property management software has allowed property owners to indirectly coordinate rent prices.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Feb. 8, 2024
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    3 ways Washington cities are reimagining downtowns

    Facing empty offices and shops and less pedestrian activity, these cities are seizing the opportunity for creative placemaking.

    By Adina Solomon • Feb. 5, 2024
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    US cities’ outlook for 2024

    Cities are pushing ahead on innovative bids to build more sustainable, safe and equitable communities, but many of the roadblocks they face likely aren't going anywhere.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff • Jan. 31, 2024
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    Where land is scarce and housing is costly, some cities are looking up

    Jurisdictions across the country are relaxing zoning laws to allow for taller multifamily construction.

    By Amanda Loudin • Jan. 22, 2024
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    Affordable housing faces building performance standards challenges, report says

    Facing costly upgrades, hefty fines and lacking technical assistance, the affordable housing sector needs more help from cities and states with such policies, says a new American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy report.

    By • Jan. 18, 2024
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    6 trends that could shape US cities in 2024

    Cities will contend with a shifting transportation picture, increased urgency to act on climate change, and innovative policies and technologies to address longstanding concerns.

    By , , • Jan. 17, 2024
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    Where are renters moving?

    These are the top 10 states for inbound migration, according to Atlas Van Lines data.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Jan. 9, 2024
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    Office-to-residential conversions raise questions at the curb

    Plan for changes to parking use and curbside activity when approving office-to-residential or office-to-retail conversion, experts say.

    By Amanda Loudin • Jan. 5, 2024
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    What US cities could look like in 2024: 6 predictions

    Safer, greener communities with more housing, greater civic participation, and diversified downtowns are what these experts envision for the coming year.

    By the Smart Cities Dive Team • Jan. 2, 2024