Housing construction
Post-Pandemic Home Building Trends: More Bedrooms, Smaller Homes
U.S. homes are adding bedrooms while getting smaller, according to two seemingly contradictory articles published on the same day from different data sources earlier this month.
An Argument for Uniform Pre-Fab Construction Standards
Industry leaders say a national set of standards for off-site construction of modular housing would boost the affordable housing stock and make construction faster.
Report: Why It Costs so Much to Build Housing in Austin
The study highlights high real estate costs as well as restrictive zoning regulations and building requirements that delay multi-family construction.
The Relationship Between Rents and Housing Supply
Despite a strong belief in market forces in many other aspects of the economy, many Americans don’t see a correlation between housing supply and housing costs.
Austin Could Reduce Minimum Lot Sizes
In an effort to increase housing production and bring down housing costs, the city council approved a resolution calling for reduced lot sizes and higher density in single-family neighborhoods.
Austin Council Proposes Multi-Family Affordable Housing Program
The proposal would permit larger buildings on single-family lots.
Vacant Lot Development Could Bring 100,000 New Housing Units to Dallas
Building on the roughly 76 million square feet of vacant land already zoned for multifamily housing could create badly needed rental housing units and slow the growth of rent prices.
New Yorkers Need Land. NYPD is Sitting on Nearly 150 Lots.
A new map reveals how much land in New York City is being wasted by city police—often sitting vacant, rather than serving the public good.
Backlash to San Francisco Development Spotlights City’s Conflicting Priorities
Residents of the Bayview neighborhood say they support new housing, but object to a proposed building that would replace one of the area’s only green spaces.
Thousands of Seattle Housing Units Blocked by Lawsuits
Legal challenges filed by condo associations are holding up multiple high-rise housing developments that could bring much-needed housing and jobs to downtown Seattle.
Manhattan Preservation Groups Block New Development—On a ‘Historic’ Parking Lot
A judge ruled against a decision by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to approve a 324-tower in the South Street Seaport Historic District, highlighting the tensions in a city facing a dearth of affordable housing.
Harlem Apartment Project Nixed in Favor of Truck Depot
After a proposal for a mixed-use development failed to gain support from a local city councilmember, the developer turned the site into a truck storage depot, prompting concerns over air quality and health impacts.
First Full Builder’s Remedy Application Filed in Santa Monica
In the time that it took Santa Monica to bring its housing plan into compliance with state requirements, a developer filed over a dozen preliminary applications under the obscure ‘builder’s remedy’ policy.
New York Mayor Announces ‘Get Stuff Built’ Housing Plan
Mayor Adams says the new plan will cut building processes by 50 percent to accelerate badly needed housing construction, but parts of the proposal still face hurdles to get approved.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Housing and Fire Safety in California
A proposed development near the site of the devastating Camp Fire highlights the growing tension between building badly needed housing and protecting communities from heightened wildfire risk.
Adaptive Reuse Booming in Pittsburgh
The city is seeing rapid growth in residential development in its downtown core, signaling a shift to accommodate a reduced need for office space and a renewed interest in mixed-use, transit-oriented neighborhoods.
Housing Construction Slowest at Both Ends of Wealth Spectrum
Communities with the slowest rates of new housing construction are either heavily undervalued, leading developers to avoid them, or extremely wealthy, giving residents leverage to employ zoning and land use to block development.
South Bend Offers Small Developers Pre-Approved Housing Templates
The city hopes the templates, along with other incentive programs, will spur more housing construction on its vacant lots while maintaining neighborhood character and streamlining the development process.
The Vanishing American ‘Starter Home’
Rising land costs, expensive materials, and onerous building and lot size requirements are making it harder to build small, affordable ‘starter homes’ in the United States.
The Uphill Battle to Build Housing in Austin
NIMBYism in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities contributes to a severe housing shortage and soaring housing costs.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
