CityNerd: Which Affordable, Walkable City Should You Move To?

This week’s CityNerd takes you on a tour of 10 cities you might not expect to be the most affordable, livable, walkable, and transit-friendly places in America.

Housing, Video, Top StoryJay StangeMay 25, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing cost, Housing, CityNerd, cities

Social Housing and the Strong Towns Approach (Part 1)

Forget what you've heard; this isn't your granddad's social housing.

Herriges, Housing, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 25, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing, housing policy, co-housing, social housing series

To Address the Housing Crisis, We Need a Fairer Tax System

Two charts illustrate the massive housing shortage in Buncombe County, NC, and show why we need to get property taxes right.

Housing, Sheppard, Urban3, Top Story, Transparent AccountingSeairra SheppardMay 17, 2022housing, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing affordability, Housing, housing cost, tax revenue, Just Accounting for Health, Urban3

4 Key Rules for Getting More Housing Where You Live

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.

Housing, Zoning, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 11, 2022housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing activism, Housing, zoning, Local-Motive Tour, taking action, how to

The NIMBYs Made $6.9 Trillion Last Year

We keep looking for villains to blame for the housing affordability crisis—but are we pointing fingers at the wrong culprits?

City Observatory, Housing, Top StoryJoe CortrightApril 20, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing market, Housing, homeowners, Homeownership, homeownership, race, Race, City Observatory, Joe Cortright

House Hacking: Urbanism at Its Smallest and Most Personal

This catalog is a primer on house hacking, with plenty of real-life examples of how it is done.

CNU, Housing, Incrementalism, Top StoryRobert SteutevilleApril 7, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing cost, housing activism, Housing, small scale developers, small scale development, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism

Why Are Our Parents in Wholly Random Places?

Even if you yourself are able to live in a walkable area, you can’t choose where your loved ones live. And as this author describes, that adds to the difficulties of caring for an ailing parent.

Housing, Walkability, Top StoryDawie CoetzeeApril 6, 2022housing, aging, family, housing cost, housing policy, walkability, single-family, zoning, #PedestrianUnfriendly

Why Are Used Homes So Expensive? (Part 2)

We’ve explored why new housing is so expensive…but why is it often the same case for used housing?

Housing, Top StorySeth ZerenMarch 28, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing market, Housing, Homeownership, homeownership

The "Lickety Splits": Working Around High Housing Costs in California

Small-scale developer Johnny Sanphillippo shares tales of Californians employing simple, low-cost, high-yield measures to get by amidst the housing crisis.

Housing, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoFebruary 25, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, affordable housing, California, Granola Shotgun, homelessness, Homelessness

Why Is New Housing So Expensive? (Part 1)

In the first of this two-part series, Seth Zeren breaks down why modern-day housing is so expensive compared to housing of the mid-20th century.

Housing, Finance, Top StorySeth ZerenFebruary 24, 2022housing cost, housing, housing affordability, Housing, housing finance

Monopoly Hotels and Missing Middle Housing

In Monopoly, there are only two types of real estate: houses and hotels. But were hotels understood differently in 1904, when the game was first created?

Housing, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoFebruary 18, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, history, History, missing middle, affordable housing, San Francisco, California, Granola Shotgun

Wildfires and Ice Storms and Pandemics…Oh My!

Co-housing not only saves money for these two families—and enabled them to buy a home, in the first place—it’s also allowed them to better weather hard times.

Community, Housing, Pattison, Updates, Top StoryJohn PattisonFebruary 16, 2022Homeownership, homeowners, co-housing, housing, Housing, housing cost, housing affordability, community building, community, Community

How Big Is an Incremental Step? Let's #DoTheMath

For our real-estate markets to allow incremental development to be economically viable, there are some challenges we need to confront.

#DotheMath, Incrementalism, Small Scale Developers, Top StorySeth ZerenJanuary 20, 2022incremental development, incrementalism, incremental growth, incremental, next increment, real estate, housing, Housing, housing cost, developers, #DoTheMath

Population Growth and the Housing Crisis

A smaller population does not necessarily result in more affordable housing for those looking for it. But why?

Upzoned, Podcast, Coronavirus, Housing, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 12, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, Population, housing affordability, housing, housing cost, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, cities, coronavirus, Coronavirus

The Carpetbagger’s Guide to Home Ownership

Johnny Sanphillippo takes a break from writing about his current real-estate activities to talk about how he first bought property when he was younger and infinitely poorer.

Housing, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoJanuary 11, 2022housing cost, housing affordability, Homeownership, homeowners, housing, Granola Shotgun, California, San Francisco

Zoning Desire Paths

Just as kids ignore sidewalks in favor of walking a more efficient path through the grass, homeowners in California are voting with their toolbelts to create zoning desire paths.

Housing, Zoning, Top Story, StangeJay StangeJanuary 7, 2022zoning, housing cost, housing affordability, housing, housing crisis, Housing, ADUs, single-family, multi-family, California, suburban experiment, suburbs

Hartford Land Bank Invests in Human Infrastructure

Connecticut’s Hartford Land Bank isn’t just stewarding the rehabilitation of its community—it’s also bringing up the next generation of local small-scale developers.

Housing, Small Scale Developers, Success Story, Top Story, StangeJay StangeJanuary 6, 2022housing, incremental development, incrementalism, housing cost, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, taking action, success, success stories

What Can We Learn From What New Zealand Just Did?

New Zealand just passed the first national policy to both end parking requirements and allow the next increment of (residential) development everywhere. I.e., two major items on the Strong Towns wish list.

Herriges, Housing, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 6, 2022housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, New Zealand, zoning, parking minimums, single-family

Legalize the Village

The author of Happy City helped build a home that addressed some of the greatest challenges of our times. But his home is illegal almost everywhere in his city—and in your city, too.