News
What’s Driving the Huge U.S. Rent Spike?
Bloomberg CityLab · 5 October 2021
Rent increases of 20% or more are making life difficult for low-income tenants in many cities, just as eviction bans and unemployment relief are running out.
For Lucky Few, Paris Debuts Public Housing in a Pricey Landmark
Bloomberg CityLab · 25 September 2021
The 96 affordable units atop the renovated La Samaritaine department store offer world-class views in one the city’s priciest neighborhoods for about $500 a month.
How a Hot Housing Market Exacerbates Inequality
Bloomberg CityLab · 22 September 2021
Homeownership is becoming even less attainable as bidding wars, cash offers and racist ideas about buyers further disadvantage people of color.
When Real Estate Agents Led the Fight Against Fair Housing
Bloomberg CityLab · 28 September 2021
The new book Freedom to Discriminate argues that the real estate industry’s campaign to defend housing segregation still echoes in today’s politics.
Apartments Built on an Assembly Line
New York Times · 10 September 2021
A California factory cuts the cost of apartment construction by thirty percent.
As Minnesota, other states struggle to distribute rental assistance money, feds offer new guidelines (and a scolding)
MinnPost · 3 September 2021
So far, Minnesota has distributed just 13 percent of the $375 million in federal money for rental assistance it received in December.
Homeownership, racial segregation, and policy solutions to racial wealth equity
Brookings · 1 September 2021
Homeownership is often viewed as the entrée to the American dream and the gateway to intergenerational wealth. The loss of wealth in Black communities hastens a downward socioeconomic spiral.
Homes for Change: Assemble’s FY21 Impact Report
Assemble Communities · 27 August 2021
Assemble is an Australian housing development organization dedicated to creating a better, fairer housing system. They have developed the innovative Build to Rent to Own Model – a hybrid build-to-rent model which offers stable rents, certainty of tenure, financial coaching, and community services to support low to moderate income Australians with a pathway to home ownership.
The Secret Bias Hidden in Mortgage-Approval Algorithms
The Markup · 25 August 2021
Even accounting for factors lenders said would explain disparities, people of color are denied mortgages at significantly higher rates than white people.
Denser Cities Could Help Curb Carbon Emissions, if the NIMBYs Allow It
Mother Jones · 25 August 2021
Even self-described progressives resist lifestyle changes.
About 89% of Rental Assistance Funds Have Not Been Distributed, Figures Show
New York Times · 25 August 2021
The $46.5 billion rental aid program created to pay rent accrued during the pandemic continues to disburse money at a slow pace, as the White House braces for a Supreme Court order that could strike down a new national moratorium on evictions.
Edina has a new Tenant Protection Ordinance
· 20 August 2021
For the first time, Edina has a tenant protection ordinance, to take effect September 1, 2021. It applies to buildings with affordable rental units and its provisions include written notice of the transfer of ownership, notice of rent increases by a new owner, and, in some cases, relocation assistance.
Opinion: Want to Solve the Housing Crisis? Take Over Hotels.
New York Times · 19 August 2021
Each side of the housing debate has a raft of prescriptions, whether mass public housing, upzoning, the unfettered building of market-rate apartments, or the construction of thousands of tiny structures for the unhoused.
Is There Racism in the Deed to Your Home?
New York Times · 17 August 2021
For much of the 20th century, it was common practice to insert racial covenants into deeds. The covenants targeted people who were Asian, Latino and Jewish, but especially those who were Black.
Housing Discrimination: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
YouTube · 26 July 2021
In this video, John Oliver outlines the long history of housing discrimination in the U.S., the damage created, and what can be done about it.