State preemption is a controversial issue in the planning world—but what’s the Strong Towns stance on it?
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In Detroit's 48205 zip code, from 2014 to 2020, the number of vacant homes hardly budged, despite $25M spent demolishing 1,628 vacant homes. When the pandemic hit, vacant homes plummeted. What happened?
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Manufactured homes were promoted at the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2022 Innovative Housing Showcase. Could this be a viable affordable housing option?
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This week’s Upzoned episode reflects on how the nuances of housing policy don’t lend themselves to broad stereotypes.
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Social housing is not a silver bullet, but can be part of a broader vision for a fairer and more responsive housing market.
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For too long, our housing policy has put investor returns and macroeconomic goals over the universal human need for shelter. The Strong Towns approach to incremental housing is a badly needed corrective.
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The Fed’s pandemic actions to loosen up capital unseized a market and fueled a housing boom—but now, a potential opposite reaction could lose U.S. taxpayers billions and be bad for housing.
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Everyone’s heard of the housing shortage…so why is the “shortage” part of that phrase so poorly defined?
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Why isn’t social housing the silver bullet it's sometimes sold as, and what it would take to be successful? (Hint: You still have to fix the market.)
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What does this case study imply for housing in the U.S., as a whole?
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Forget what you've heard; this isn't your granddad's social housing.
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In the realm of urban planning, there’s plenty of discourse out there about housing affordability—but what about household wealth building?
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Perceived threats to a home's value often prompt homeowners to shut down any discussion about neighborhood changes. But eliminating opportunities for such reactions isn’t helpful, either.
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Two charts illustrate the massive housing shortage in Buncombe County, NC, and show why we need to get property taxes right.
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One of the easiest ways we can have more housing that more people can afford is to allow that housing to be built in the first place. In other words, we need to readdress our zoning codes.
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Incrementalism is not an end in itself. Nor is it about a “small-is-beautiful” aesthetic for its own sake. Instead, it’s a practical pathway toward resilient, financially sound places.
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How have we come to the conclusion that most short-term rentals are taxed as “residential,” when many have no residents?
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The belief that we’re going to radically transform our cities from the top down defies reality. Despite widespread anxiety about urban growth and change, the vast majority of places aren’t changing very much at all.
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We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: suburban-style development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities.
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