2025
"The numbers don’t work in Cambridge"
One perverse way to think about development is that it is a tool to transfer costs away from people who don’t want to pay for stuff to people who don’t know they’re paying for stuff.
...More"‘The numbers should work, and they just don’t’: Is Cambridge’s affordable housing rule backfiring?"
Cambridge is one of many local communities that require most new housing developments to include units set aside at below-market rents — in its case, 20 percent of the building, which is among the highest rates in Greater Boston — with the intention of creating more affordable homes in a city that is starved for them…..Put another way, a policy aimed at generating affordable housing may actually be preventing it.
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"50 Things I’ve Learned Writing Construction Physics"
I’ve been writing Construction Physics since September of 2020. Over the past four and a half years I’ve written 186 essays, totalling around 600,000 words.
...More"The West Leads In Micro-Housing, With San Francisco And Seattle At The Forefront"
Seven of the top 10 cities with the highest share of micro-housing are in the West — led by San Francisco. Roughly 15% of the local housing stock in San Francisco consists of apartments smaller than 415 square feet.
...More"Austin City Council signs off on more ‘single stair’ buildings"
Austin City Council members approved a code amendment that allows more units to be built using only one central staircase. Advocates of “single stair” housing say it will create more flexibility in how smaller complexes are built, making them more affordable.
...More"High Agency In 30 Minutes"
You wake up in a 3rd world jail cell. You’re only allowed to call one person you know to get you out of there. Who do you call?
...More"Major Builder’s Remedy/Housing Litigation Win"
In a litigation result that will have a number of positive consequences for developers and housing advocates, the City of La Canada Flintridge (“City”) last week moved to dismiss its appeal of a closely-watched “Builder’s Remedy” case.
...More"Micro Housing Market: Redefining Urban Living with Compact and Efficient Spaces | MicroLife Institute, Panoramic Interests, Kasita"
The Micro Housing Market has been fragmented based on the productivity of several companies; therefore, each segment and its sub-segments are analyzed in the research report. Furthermore, the report offers 360 views on historical and upcoming growth based on volume, value, production, and consumption
...More"Minneapolis is urbanizing"
Since 2009, policymakers in Minneapolis having been implementing land use changes to encourage more housing supply. Some of these changes have included eliminating parking minimums, encouraging multi-family buildings up to 6 storeys on commercial corridors …
...More"Project 2028: Housing"
The U.S. doesn’t have a housing crisis, but an affordability crisis. Roughly one-third of Americans rent, and nearly half are “cost-burdened,” i.e., they spend 30% or more of their income on housing. Since 2019, rents have increased 1.5x faster than income in most U.S. metro areas.
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