a collaboration for good
Tens of millions of families across the country are struggling to pay housing costs, and states and cities are scrambling to find a solution. Denver’s mayor is proposing a way out: a new sales tax that would raise $100 million to build affordable housing. Will other governments follow suit? States, cities consider ‘mansion taxes’ to…
Cement production injects a significant amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, so a California company has invented a solution: cement-free concrete that exceeds trade standards for strength and durability, emits close to zero CO₂ during its manufacture, and over time can even absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere. It could be a game-changer for construction…
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Non-hallucinogenic hemp can be used inexpensively for food, paper, textiles, medicine, fuel, animal feed, plastic substitute, skin care products and more. And yet, in most places, it is either illegal to grow or it is tightly restricted. Even so, the Lower Sioux Indian tribe of Morton, Minn., is using hemp to build homes – an…
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Downtowns across the country are plagued by office and retail vacancies, but a collaborative effort in Memphis is proving it need not be this way. Memphis is demonstrating how a focused, anchor-led approach to development, combined with a culture of humility, an eagerness to learn, and the realization that collaboration among institutions and individual people…
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Renting a house these days has become so expensive that many people cannot afford it, so the federal government has been using a voucher system to help them. But the system has grown so complicated that many landlords refuse to accept them. Are direct cash payments the answer? It’s being considered. The federal government’s new…
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The availability of affordable housing has become one of America’s most pressing problems, and small towns may be leading the way toward creating a solution. They are reclaiming the streets from the indignities of postwar planning policies, and are introducing better design, less car-centric sprawl, and localized innovation. Can Your Town Solve the Housing Crisis?…
In most developed countries, the highest level of government has direct authority over zoning laws, but not in the United States. Here it’s all handled on the local level. However, the myriad problems involved with building housing these days, especially apartments and starter homes, may be changing that. It appears the issue could go a…
Beaverton, Ore., which sits just west of Portland, has a significant homelessness problem, but Mayor Lacey Beaty found a way to build an emergency homeless shelter that will not cost residents a penny. Will other cities follow her plan? Oregon Mayor Builds Homeless Shelter at No Cost to the City https://www.governing.com/urban/oregon-mayor-builds-homeless-shelter-at-no-cost-to-the-city Related Reading
A new survey reveals that the more people use electricity in their homes, the more likely they are to use even more electricity and less gas and oil. But the more people depend on gas and oil in their homes, the less likely they are to switch to electricity. Since electricity is far kinder to…
A home repair program in Pennsylvania aimed at helping low-income homeowners is facing overwhelming demand for assistance, with thousands of applicants on the waiting list. The program, funded by federal COVID-19 relief money, provides grants of up to $18,000 for critical repairs. However, the high demand has caused delays in processing applications, leaving many in…