Nevada strikes settlement with RealPage over rent-setting software

The deal places new limits on how rental data can be used and funds rent relief. Similar lawsuits from state and local governments are still pending.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 29, 2025

Santa Clara County records surge in first-time homelessness

The latest data, gathered via a new “survey-first” approach, showed an 8.2% increase in people experiencing homelessness in the California county.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 26, 2025

Explore the 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

Whistleblowers accuse HUD of ‘systematically undermining’ fair housing laws

A gutted workforce and gag orders are preventing the Office of Fair Housing from performing its duties, staffers within the office say.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 25, 2025

Affordable housing developers sue over new Texas law

Under HB21, cities must approve all housing finance corporation deals and verify affordability through audits. Developers say the law could shrink supply and upend existing agreements.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 25, 2025

5 takeaways from Harvard’s Unlocking the Missing Middle housing report

The university’s Joint Center for Housing Studies is examining “missing middle” housing in Massachusetts.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 23, 2025

Amazon pledged to deliver affordable housing to the Puget Sound region. It just hit 10,000 units.

The milestone resulted from the company’s $900 million investment in housing that will remain affordable for 99 years.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 19, 2025

Amid encampment crackdowns, Maui County, Hawaiʻi, explores ‘compassionate’ approach

A county bill would require notice about encampment removal schedules and assurances the people living in them could remain with their companions and have their personal possessions stored.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 18, 2025

California set to allow denser housing by transit

Gov. Gavin Newsom will soon review SB 79, new legislation that will make it easier to build multifamily housing near major train stops and rapid bus lines.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 17, 2025

Houston had outpaced the nation in addressing homelessness. Now it’s facing a setback.

The city’s unsheltered homeless population jumped 16% in 2025, new point-in-time data shows.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 15, 2025

Judge temporarily blocks new HUD housing grant criteria

“The irreparable harm is that these funds would be lost forever by anybody that intends to apply,” U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy said.

By Ryan Kushner • Updated Sept. 16, 2025

San Francisco’s permitting reform seeks an end to building project ‘death by a thousand cuts’

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s latest permitting reform package loosens restrictions on historic buildings, reduces fees and clears the path for accessory dwelling units in the city.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 11, 2025

With an executive order, Maryland aims to build more houses faster

Gov. Wes Moore wants to shrink permitting timelines, set housing production targets and use state land for transit-oriented development.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 10, 2025

California forms task force to clear homeless encampments

The task force will target encampments on state rights-of-way in the state’s 10 largest cities, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 9, 2025

Chicago eases parking mandates to spur affordable housing development

Developments near public transit can reduce the amount of off-street parking by up to 100% without administrative approval.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 5, 2025

A Virginia city eliminated single-family-only zoning. Then the lawsuits came.

Roanoke, Virginia, is reassessing zoning reforms it passed last year after resident lawsuits cost the city tens of thousands in litigation.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 3, 2025

To address homelessness, Oakland, California, has a new plan and new resources

Some funding for the Office of Homelessness Solutions will come from a half-cent county sales tax that took effect in April.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 2, 2025

Oregon moves toward state-level zoning in push for ‘missing middle’ housing

“We have to cut red tape and get out of our own way,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in signing two bipartisan measures into law.

By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 28, 2025

Housing affordability was a problem in New Orleans before Katrina. That hasn’t changed.

Uneven investment has worsened the city’s housing affordability crisis in the two decades since the storm, housing advocates say.

By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 27, 2025

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 Ryan Kushner • Aug. 22, 2025

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

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 Ryan Kushner • Aug. 15, 2025

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

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 Ryan Kushner • Aug. 12, 2025

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

LA County sees second year of homelessness declines, ends longtime 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 Ryan Kushner • Aug. 7, 2025