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☆ A 27-year-old Berkeley city council member wanted to build more affordable housing. Relentless harassment from 'left NIMBYs' pushed him to resign.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewWhen Rigel Robinson was elected to the Berkeley City Council in 2018 — just months after graduating from UC Berkeley — he was determined to tackle the city's housing crisis as its youngest-ever council member. As an undergrad serving on Berkeley's student government, Robinson grew passionate about building more affordable student housing in the notoriously expensive city. Meanwhile, the university is facing a severe student housing shortage amid a broader affordability crisis. But Robinson's advocacy for housing in People's Park was met with a wave of harassment from residents who wanted to keep the park as is. Earlier this month, the conflict escalated as hundreds of police officers arrested dozens of protesters and cleared tents at People's Park.

Persons: —, Rigel Robinson, Robinson, Gavin Newsom, it's, hasn't, Terry Taplin, he'll, what's Organizations: Service, Berkeley City Council, UC Berkeley —, Business, Economic, Gov, Berkeley, City of Locations: Berkeley, People's, Berkeley's, West Coast, YIMBYs, City, City of Berkeley

☆ It's not just you: It's getting harder and harder to find cheap rent across the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Eliza Relman | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

If you've been struggling to find a cheap rental, you're not alone: Low-rent apartments are harder to find than ever. And homes with rent between $600 and $799 fell from almost 9 million to 5.8 million units. Meanwhile, the number of homes that rent for at least $2,000 per month more than doubled, climbing from about 3.2 million to 7.3 million homes. This is just more evidence of the housing affordability crisis many cities and towns across the country are facing. Middle-income renters — those who make between $30,000 and $74,999 annually — saw the most dramatic increase in housing costs between 2019 and 2022.

Persons: you've, — Organizations: Service, Business, Harvard's, for Housing Studies, Harvard Locations: California

☆ The rental market is getting out of hand, with millions of Americans spending the majority of their paychecks on housing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In today's big story, we're looking at how much Americans spend on rent and why cheap properties are so hard to come by. And now a new Harvard study demonstrates how costly the rental market has become, Business Insider's Pete Syme writes. Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies estimated 12.1 million American households spend more than half their income on rent and utilities. That number grows to 22.4 million households for those spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Meanwhile, experts predict the housing market will reverse course this year as housing inventory increases and mortgage rates fall.

Persons: —, Tom Williams, Pete Syme, BI's Eliza Relman, Juliana Kaplan, There's, that's, Angela Ostafichuk, Justin Sullivan, Mario Tama, Tesla, Elon Musk, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Harvard, for Housing Studies, BI, Apple, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, American Express, Hyundai, Brands, Dolce, Gabbana Locations: Capitol, Washington, That'll, New York, London

☆ Empty-Nest Baby Boomers Won't Sell 3-Bedroom Homes Millennials Need
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Eliza Relman | Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As people age, they need homes that are more accessible and easier to maintain. Large homes often have multiple floors, yards, and other features that make them trickier to navigate for older people. AdvertisementSchuetz says there's not a dearth of large homes in the US. Instead, there's really just a mismatch between large homes and occupants who don't need them. But many more family-sized apartments and other homes will need to be built to make up for the lack of large homes on the market.

Persons: —, Jenny Schuetz, Redfin, Schuetz, Daryl Fairweather, Redfin's, I've, Fairweather, it's, there's Organizations: Service, Business, Brookings Institution

☆ People are using cash transfers like basic income to pay rent, and it shows just how badly a housing-crisis solution is needed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And a growing number of people who are eligible for government housing assistance aren't getting it. But unlike other government benefits like Medicaid and food stamps, housing aid doesn't automatically go to those who need it. And across 31 pilot basic income programs , recipients spent an average of about 9.2% of their payments on housing and utilities. AdvertisementThe amount that the federal government spends on its housing assistance programs, mainly Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing, is determined by Congress each year. "Housing support across America is very fractured and variable," said Sean Kline, director of Stanford's Basic Income Lab.

Persons: —, doesn't, Matt Desmond, Chris Herbert, Ulbrich, Matt Turner, hasn't, Sean Kline, Matthew Fowle, Fowle, Kline, Herbert Organizations: Service, Homelessness, Business, Urban Institute, Assistance, Columbia University's, Poverty, Princeton, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Economic, Congress, Harvard, The New York Times, Department of Housing, Urban Development, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, University of Pennsylvania, UPenn's Housing Locations: Washington ,, San Francisco, Davos, America, Philadelphia

☆ Homes made in factories were supposed to save us from the housing crisis, but the companies that make them are failing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But the world of modular housing, which includes multi-unit apartment buildings and conventional-looking houses, is littered with companies that have gone bust. AdvertisementThese restrictive policies often reflect the lingering perception that factory-built homes are inferior to traditional housing, Erlich said. Investors aren't convinced there's sufficient and consistent demand for modular housing in most markets. They tend to be run by people with deep experience in the construction industry, Erlich said. AdvertisementDo you work in the modular housing industry?

Persons: —, Mark Erlich, Katerra, Erlich, Andrew Justus, Justus, Biden, aren't, there's Organizations: Service, New England Regional, of Carpenters, Urban, Niskanen, of Housing, Motors, Avana, Factory, New York Times Locations: Silicon, California, Brooklyn, Manhattan, San Francisco Bay

☆ A millennial couple who moved from Baltimore to Florida explain why they bought a $65,000 mobile home as their starter house
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Mobile homes — a type of manufactured house — are a more affordable option for many. Jess Carpenter and her family are living in and renovating their mobile home in Sarasota, Florida. Housing advocates want to get rid of many regulations that bar manufactured homes from communities. AdvertisementJess Carpenter and her husband had never considered living in a mobile home when they moved from Baltimore to Florida in April 2022. In many states, mobile homes are categorized like cars or boats and don't qualify for home mortgages.

Persons: Jess Carpenter, —, Carpenter, Ringling, They've, Andrew Justus, Biden Organizations: Housing, Service, Carpenters, Sarasota, Sunshine State, Niskanen, of Housing, Urban Locations: Sarasota , Florida, Baltimore, Florida, Sarasota, Levittown

☆ Millennials Are Being Forced Out of Cities and Into Suburbs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Millennial homebuyers aren't just leaving the urban core — they're moving to the farthest reaches of the suburbs. The 'youthification' of cities and far-flung suburbsFor nearly two decades millennials morphed dense, amenity-rich urban neighborhoods across America into exclusive playgrounds for the young and childless. Compared with Gen Xers and baby boomers, a much larger share of millennials moved to cities in their young adulthood — and stayed for longer. The pandemic only steepened a trend that's been ousting millennials from cities for years: rising housing costs in cities. Millennials could help transform suburban sprawl into town-like communities or small cities with more third places and a stronger sense of community, Panova says.

Persons: Jandra Sutton, Sutton, they're, pricey, they'll, Gen Xers, millennials, —, Millennials, — it's, Zers, Allison Levine, Tiffany Stuart, — Stuart, Stuart, Hyojung Lee, Lee, who's, John Natale, Rafay Qamar, didn't, Qamar, We've, Paul Stout, Stout, Tayana, Panova, Levine, Eliza Reman Organizations: bodega, Suburban Jungle, Harvard's, for Housing Studies, Seoul National University, New York City, Suburban, Business Insider's Locations: Tennessee, Nashville, America, San Francisco, Boston, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Austin, Denver, New York City, New Jersey, Flatbush, Wall Township , New Jersey, exurbs, New York, Chicago, Black, walkable, Sutton's

☆ Student-loan borrowers are taking on more debt, and it's not all tuition — blame skyrocketing housing costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-07 | by ( Eliza Relman | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementRigel Robinson, chair of the Land Use, Housing, and Economic Development Committee on the Berkeley City Council, said "the student housing crisis has become the defining characteristic of the student experience at UC Berkeley." Experts said the housing crisis is making the already high student-debt load in the country worse. But with housing costs spiking, living expenses are a big part of the story for many. Darrell Owens, a policy analyst at California YIMBY — an advocacy organization working to end California's housing crisis — noted that the student housing crisis exacerbates the broader housing crisis. "Then what ends up happening is that they spike housing costs for other people."

Persons: —, Katie Ibsen, Ibsen, Berkeley, Gavin Newsom, Rigel Robinson, Robert Kelchen, Kelchen, Marcella Bombardieri, Bombardieri, They're, Pell, I've, Darrell Owens, Robinson, it's Organizations: Service, University of California, Business, Gov, Economic, Berkeley City Council, UC Berkeley, Department of Educational, University of Tennessee, Knoxville ., Center for American Progress, Kootenai, Parsons School of Design, Hope, Temple University, Pell Grants Locations: Berkeley, COVID, Davis , California, Knoxville, Knoxville . College, California, Montana, Kootenai College, New York City, Jersey City

☆ The key to solving loneliness and pollution might be giving up cars and hanging out in the street. It's working in Barcelona.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Barcelona is a decade into transforming many of its streets into green, car-light public spaces. Earlier this year, the city announced yet another major expansion of the project, with a goal of making a third of city streets green by 2030. And as Americans experience an epidemic of loneliness, a built environment that fosters social connection might be crucial for public health. Making a neighborhood more attractive with more walkable, green streets could mean triggering or speeding up gentrification. More walkable communities with high-quality public spaces are much more expensive to live in, indicating high demand.

Persons: —, Sven Eggimann, Tayana Panova, Jonathan Cohn, who's, Eggimann, pyi2lKhNzc, Billy Fields Organizations: Service, ZHAW School of Architecture, Residents, Urban, Smart Growth Locations: Barcelona, Spanish, Switzerland, New York City, Barcelona's, Vitoria, Europe, Valencia, Manhattan, Francisco, Superblocks

☆ New York City will pay homeowners up to $395,000 to build an extra dwelling in their garage or basement to help ease the housing shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City unveiled a pilot program to help homeowners build accessory dwelling units. New York City just unveiled its newest effort, which will hand 15 homeowners up to $395,000 to build an additional apartment. The idea is to boost housing density in a city in desperate need of new housing. The proposal also aims to legalize ADU construction across much more of the city. New York City is facing an especially severe housing affordability crisis.

Persons: —, Eric Adams Organizations: New York State, Service, New York Times, York City, Big Apple Locations: York City, New York City, New York, York, California, Oregon

☆ Midwestern Cities Will Have Highest Winter Heating Bills, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Residents of cities across the Midwest will be hardest hit by home heating costs this winter. A new study ranked US cities based on costs in relation to incomes, energy efficiency, and more. The study ranked heating expenses in the 500 biggest cities in the country based on several factors, including electricity and heating fuel costs relative to average income, home energy-efficiency, and things like weather and average home size and age. Cleveland and Flint have particularly energy inefficient homes, while Independence and St. Joseph ranked high on energy costs, the study reported. During the hot months, places like Florida and Georgia become the most unaffordable when it comes to HVAC costs, the study noted.

Persons: —, Joseph Organizations: Service, Midwest ., Midwestern, Puget, Census Bureau, Department of Energy, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Midwest, Springfield , Missouri, Cleveland , Ohio, Independence , Missouri, Flint , Michigan, St, Joseph , Missouri, Midwest . Cleveland, Flint, Independence, Northeastern, Southern, Central California, Washington State, Florida, Georgia

☆ A New Jersey city hasn't had a single traffic death in almost 7 years. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

While traffic deaths are way up across the country, Hoboken, New Jersey, has managed to go years without one. Between 2019 and 2022, traffic fatalities jumped 18%, with pedestrian deaths hitting a 40-year high in 2021, according to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association. In Hoboken, local leaders have invested in a concerted effort to cut road deaths — and it's working. The city hasn't had a single traffic death since January 2017, and traffic injuries have declined about 40% in that period, Bloomberg reported. The project has an ambitious goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and injuries n the city by 2030.

Persons: —, Ravi Bhalla, Bhalla, Bloomberg CityLab, Ryan Sharp, Sharp Organizations: Service, Governors Highway Safety Association, Authorities, Bloomberg, Hoboken, Research, Citi Locations: Hoboken , New Jersey, New Jersey, Hoboken, hasn't

☆ Housing economists have a great idea that could fix just about everything
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"A land value tax would fix that" has become a popular, and sometimes comedic, Twitter response to a range of policy conundrums among urbanists and YIMBYs. It would incentivize landowners to maximize the revenue from their property — building an apartment building instead of, for example, a parking lot. And because rich individuals and corporations own most land in cities and towns, land taxes would disproportionately fall on the wealthiest. Pure Georgists advocate for abolishing all taxes besides land value taxes. Instead, they want to see more regressive levies — like sales taxes — or those that penalize investment — like property taxes — reduced.

Persons: —, Henry George, George, Stephen Hoskins, BZ5X3Lh7mU — Daryl Fairweather ⛅, Mike Duggan, Gregor Schwerhoff, Shane Phillips, Scott Olson, Phillips, Hoskins Organizations: Service, urbanists, Resource Justice, Lawmakers, Detroit, International Monetary Fund, Lewis Center for Regional Policy Locations: America, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh , Harrisburg, Allentown, Detroit, Minnesota, Hamtramck , Michigan, American

☆ Canada's unprecedented housing crisis could be a warning sign for the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The country is also almost certainly heading towards a recession — if it's not already in one — and the housing market is partly to blame, economists say. But immigration is just one of many factors at play — Canada's housing crisis far preceded the rise in immigration. Stillo believes Canada's housing bubble has been slowly "deflating" for the last 18 months, despite an upswing in prices earlier this year. But there isn't consensus on if and when Canada's housing bubble will burst — or even if there is a bubble. While housing prices have flattened recently as demand softens, he says they show no sign of significantly declining.

Persons: —, it's, Mosche Lander, haven't, Mike Moffat, Tony Stillo, Moffat, Lander, Stillo, they're Organizations: Service, Concordia University, Smart Prosperity, University of Ottawa, US, Oxford Economics, America, Bloomberg Locations: Canada, Canadian

☆ The key to fighting the urban doom loop might be a downtown beach
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Urban rivers, lakes, and parks can also be the key to making cities more resilient to climate change. The 1,200 tons of sand near Greenwich Village along the Hudson river would have to do. But there's no public pool nearby, and no sanctioned river swim spots in the city. The sandy bluff on Gansevoort peninsula is part of the much larger Hudson River park and looks out over Little Island, a whimsical, highly instagrammable transformation of Pier 55. Seattle has torn down an elevated freeway downtown to make way for a waterfront park.

Persons: Mia Olis, Olis, they'll, Amanda Weinstein, Hudson, Karin Balow, Eliza Relman, Bill O'Leary, Trey Sherard, It's, vVJ9elwcss, Sherard, Charles, satchel, Paris, Anne Hidalgo, he's Organizations: Service, University of Akron, Hudson, Inwood, New, Battery, Park, DC, Navy, Nationals, Anacostia, Prince, AFP, Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Yacht Locations: Chelsea, Hawaii, Greenwich Village, Harlem, New York, Rivers, Upper Manhattan, Manhattan, Jersey City, New York City, Hudson, Little, Manhattan's, Brooklyn, Domino, Queens, Governor's, . Cleveland , Ohio, Lake Erie, Cuyahoga, . Seattle, Potomac, Anacostia, Washington , DC, Prince George's County , Maryland, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Iraja, Black, Boston, Switzerland's, Zurich, Lake Zurich, Bern, who's, American

☆ San Francisco is moving forward with its tallest-ever apartment building as California's new laws to fight the housing crisis start to pay off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new law fast-tracking affordable and mixed-income housing is paying off in San Francisco. Plans for the tallest-ever apartment building in the city are being fast-tracked under the new state law. The tower at 530 Howard Street will be the tallest residential building in San Francisco and the third-tallest building citywide, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Newsom signed more than 50 housing bills last month that loosen restrictions imposed by CEQA, fast-track affordable housing projects, and encourage more dense, infill residential construction. "Turning a parking lot into housing, including affordable housing, is exactly what we need to do to build a stronger, more resilient San Francisco," Breed said in a statement to the Chronicle.

Persons: —, Bill, Paul Paradis, Paradis, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Breed Organizations: Service, Affordable, Commission, Supervisors, San Francisco Chronicle, JPMorgan Chase, Gov, CEQA, San Francisco Mayor London, Bloomberg Locations: San Francisco, Bay Area, Francisco, —, California, Washington

☆ Developers who want to build apartments near public transit stations are in luck as the Biden administration opens up billions in new loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Construction of new apartment buildings is slowing as interest rates stay high. The Department of Transportation is opening up billions in loans for construction near mass transit. AdvertisementMultifamily housing construction boomed over the last couple years, and more apartments are coming on the market than at any time since the 1980s. But as interest rates have shot up, apartment construction is sharply slowing across the country. In fact, in order to qualify for the loans, developers need to show that their projects would boost ridership.

Persons: Biden, —, Dan Schned, TOD, Schned, Brian Deese Organizations: Department of Transportation, Service, of Transportation, Transportation Infrastructure Finance, Innovation, Railroad Rehabilitation, Improvement, DOT's Build America Bureau Locations: downtowns

☆ Tenants and a top prosecutor have accused major landlords and a popular apartment-pricing site of colluding to inflate rents. A legal expert says it shows algorithmic collusion is no longer 'science f
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementYou're probably aware that a severe housing shortage has driven rents and home prices through the roof in recent years. Now, several lawsuits filed across the country contend that the algorithmic software some big landlords use to determine rents has artificially inflated prices. This allegation is unusual, given that RealPage doesn't have any market power over its clients, Stucke said. AdvertisementProsecutors also allege that RealPage monitors the rents that its clients charge and disciplines landlords who don't adhere to its recommendations.

Persons: —, Brian Schwalb, RealPage, They're, Maurice Stucke, RealPage didn't, Axios, Department —, Donald Trump —, Steve Winn, ProPublica, Stucke Organizations: Service, University of Tennessee, DOJ, The, Department, Prosecutors, Department of Justice, Democratic, Federal Trade Commission, Computer Locations: Washington, DC, RealPage, Texas, Seattle , New York, Boston, Colorado, Nashville

☆ 'Selling Sunset' agents are freaking out about LA's new mansion tax — but it's not just millionaires who should be worried
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

This time, it hinges on Los Angeles' new mansion tax, which impacts homes sold for over $5 million. She added of the city's mansion tax, "This is a very reasonable and equitable way to generate some resources that can support those needs." Unintended consequences of a mansion taxColloquially known as a mansion tax, United to House LA (Measure ULA) passed in November 2022 with 58% support. Shane Phillips, a UCLA housing researcher whose work helped inspire LA's mansion tax, is worried about the mansion tax depressing new development, particularly of multi-family buildings. Phillips argued that if the law is tweaked to exempt first-time sales, the mansion tax "will unquestionably do more good than harm."

Persons: —, Mary Fitzgerald, Nicole Young, Jason Oppenheim, It's, Oppenheim, — aren't, Mari Castaldi, Karen Bass, Shane Phillips, Phillips, that's, Billy Rose, you'll, Rose, doesn't, Castaldi, Phillips isn't Organizations: Service, Netflix, Oppenheim Group, realtors, California Association of Realtors, Budget, House, LA Times, UCLA, Agency Locations: Angeles, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Chicago, Santa Fe, California, LA

☆ Homebuyers in Santa Fe shelling out more than $1 million will have to pay a new 'mansion tax'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Santa Fe voted overwhelmingly for a new tax on homes sold for more than $1 million. The new 3% tax will fund affordable housing construction and maintenance. The vote indicates strong support for so-called "mansion taxes" across the country. Several other major cities and states have proposed or recently passed mansion taxes, or some other tax increase to fund affordable housing. Seattle voted on Tuesday to triple its property tax that funds affordable housing and aids low-income tenants.

Persons: —, who've, Alan Webber, We've, It's Organizations: Santa Fe, Service, Fe, Fe's Democratic, ABC News, Seattle, Solutions, New York State, Voters Locations: Santa, New Mexico, Fe, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Cincinnati , Ohio

☆ Biden is pouring $16 billion into making Amtrak trains faster, easier to get to, and more accessible
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Biden is pouring $16.4 billion into passenger rail in the Northeast Regional corridor. AdvertisementAdvertisementPresident Joe Biden — a known proponent of Amtrak — wants trains to run faster and better. His administration is pouring $16.4 billion from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law into the Northeast Regional corridor to do just that. Meanwhile, 80% of Amtrak trains were on time in 2020 — and that fell to 74% by 2022. "We're all on our way to creating world-class passenger rail that benefits communities nationwide by making our rail systems safer, more efficient, and more convenient," Landrieu said.

Persons: Biden, —, Joe Biden —, Mitch Landrieu, Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Bill Flynn, Marc Molinaro, Landrieu Organizations: Service, Amtrak —, White, Penn, Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, European Union, Northeast Corridor Commission, NEC, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs Act, Republicans, New, New York Republican, Republican Locations: Boston, Washington, Baltimore, New York's, Connecticut, Metro, New York, Bronx, Manhattan, —, Northeast, West, Hudson

☆ Austin is abolishing parking requirements to bring down runaway home prices and rents
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Austin, Texas is officially getting rid of its minimum parking requirements. The move is expected to decrease home prices and rents, as construction costs fall. Austin, Texas is getting rid of requirements that new construction — from single-family homes to shopping malls — build parking spots. Housing advocates, urban planners, and environmental activists have long pushed to end parking requirements, as they elevate construction costs, inflate rents and home prices, and waste valuable space. AdvertisementAdvertisementA few large cities across the country, including Portland, Minneapolis, and San Jose, have already gotten rid of parking minimums.

Persons: —, Eric Adams, There's, Robert Garcia, Garcia Organizations: Service, City Council, Housing, Rutgers Center, Real, New York City, California Democrat Locations: Austin , Texas, Austin, New Jersey, Portland , Minneapolis, San Jose, New York, New York City, California

☆ Urban golf courses are making housing more expensive and parks harder to access — and taxpayers are footing the bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Many states subsidize golf courses with low property taxes, so non-golfers are footing the bill. David Madison/Getty ImagesUrban golf courses also cost taxpayers — even those who don't play — a lot of money. Proponents of retrofitting courses note that reducing the number of golf courses would help boost revenue for courses that do survive. "But then on the flip side, we have these public golf courses that are just these almost vacuous spaces that are quite underutilized." He noted that projects that just involve turning golf courses into parks are often most palatable to neighbors.

Persons: —, they'd, Franciscans who'd, Zach Klein, VDERHLrowD, David Madison, it's, Malcolm Gladwell, Scottie Scheffler, Richard Heathcote, Mitchell Reardon, htpq6Uqx8q — Cork Gaines, Ray Delahanty, Jennifer Keesmaat, Keesmaat, Don, RENE JOHNSTON, Charlie McCabe, he's, Former California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, McCabe, Reardon Organizations: Urban, Service, Franciscans, Olympic, Getty, Los Angeles Country Club, United, 123rd U.S, YouTube, Center, City, Trust, Public, Denver, Council, Democrat Locations: Presidio, U.S, San Francisco , California, California, San Francisco's, Golden, Beverly Hills, United States, Los Angeles , California, Cities, Florida, Toronto, haven't, Don Valley, Toronto , Ontario, New Orleans, Former California, Los Angeles County

☆ Turning a tiny fraction of America's dead strip malls into housing could create 700,000 new apartments
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Old or vacant strip malls offer a promising opportunity to create much-needed new housing. A new report found that converting 10% of strip malls into housing could create 700,000 new homes. Urban planners and developers across the country are pushing a fix for both: converting strip malls into housing. But when it comes to strip mall conversions, finding the right property to redevelop is the bigger challenge. And older strip malls are often costlier to maintain than to tear down and redevelop.

Persons: —, Ahmad Abu, Khalaf, It's Organizations: Service, Enterprise Community Partners, International Council of Shopping Centers, Sears Locations: Ahmad, Cities, Abu, Santa Ana , California, Irondequoit , New York

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