June 2017

Over the past year, rent inflation has declined in 48 of the top 50 markets For the past several years, rising rents have been at the center of the nation’s housing affordability debate. A combination

Since 2000, the number of people living in extremely poor neighborhoods has doubled; neighborhoods of concentrated poverty are still disproportionately in the densest urban places. Last week, the Joint Center on Housing Studies released its

The fallacy of composition leads people to get the connection between density and affordability backwards Our good friend at Strong Towns, Chuck Marohn is utterly right about a great many things. But he’s committed a

What City Observatory did this week 1. Cultural appropriation: Theft or smorgasbord? A recent Internet furor erupted over a Portland burrito stand that copied its recipe from that of street vendors in Mexico. An essential

Portland and other cities are considering future policies for a world of autonomous vehicles:  We have some advice:  Use this opportunity to dynamically price roads. Like many cities, Portland is considering what policies it should

Is historic preservation just thinly veiled NIMBYism? There’s a growing recognition that local land use controls that preclude increased density in cities are helping contribute to the shortage of affordable housing. President Obama’s Council of