Category: Housing and Community Development

Housing and Community Development

Owning a Home as an Undocumented Immigrant

For many immigrants, owning a home is a sign of having achieved the American dream. With the economic recession and housing market downturn, there has been some concern about the decline in overall homeownership rates; however, immigrants remain enthusiastic about homeownership. The homeownership rate among the foreign-born population in 2015 was fifty percent, only ten percent lower than the rate among the U.S.-born population, but … Continue reading Owning a Home as an Undocumented Immigrant

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Housing and Community Development

Affordable Housing Toolkit Snapshot: Inclusionary Zoning

This blog is part of a series spotlighting the writings of first-year DCRP Master’s students in fulfillment of PLAN720: Planning Methods in Fall 2017.  The dearth of affordable housing options available to residents of our nation is slowly seeping into the national discourse, where previously it had largely been confined to the purview of urban planners, lawyers, and policy advocates. Matthew Desmond’s groundbreaking 2016 book, … Continue reading Affordable Housing Toolkit Snapshot: Inclusionary Zoning

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Economic Development, Hazards, Housing and Community Development, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Research Triangle

Now Available Online – Volume 42 of the Carolina Planning Journal

Volume 42 of the Carolina Planning Journal is now available for free on the Carolina Planning Journal webpage. Just scroll to the bottom and click on the link! “The prefix ‘re-‘ holds two contradictory connotations. It can mean ‘again,’ or multiple repetitions, or it can mean a withdrawal or reversal. While one meaning implies forward motion, the other suggests retreat. And what a provoking approach to take to … Continue reading Now Available Online – Volume 42 of the Carolina Planning Journal

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Housing and Community Development, Research Triangle

Orange County Affordable Housing Summit

The Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition is hosting a summit to bring together elected officials, government staff, community organizations, and the public to have a conversation about affordable housing development in the county. The summit is planned for Friday, February 23rd from 10:00am to 1:30pm at St. Thomas More in Chapel Hill. The goal of the summit is to share the current state of affordable … Continue reading Orange County Affordable Housing Summit

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Housing and Community Development, Local Government

Short-Term Rentals and Housing Affordability in Asheville, NC

What happens when a city’s economic growth and its affordability to residents are in competition? Last month, Asheville’s City Council voted to enact rules to slow the development of vacation rentals in its downtown area.  The new rules come in the wake of the rapid conversion of housing into short-term rentals, which local leaders believe has  complicated an increasingly expensive housing market.  The development highlights … Continue reading Short-Term Rentals and Housing Affordability in Asheville, NC

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Housing and Community Development, International

Revisiting the Right to Housing

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently made headlines by declaring that “housing rights are human rights.” His statement came on the heels of the Liberal government’s unveiling of Canada’s National Housing Strategy, notable in its embrace of a rights-based approach to housing. Prior to last week’s announcement, Canada was the only major industrialized nation in the world to lack a nationally coordinated housing strategy.1 Canada’s … Continue reading Revisiting the Right to Housing

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Housing and Community Development, Local Government

Chapel Hill Town Council Candidates Speak on Issues of Affordable Housing and Transportation

Fall is in the air, and it’s time for municipal elections!  On November 7, Chapel Hill registered voters will cast their ballots for candidates seeking four available Town Council seats.  The Chapel Hill Town Council is comprised of eight members who serve four-year terms. Recently, the local political blog OrangePolitics hosted a live online forum for the seven Town Council candidates.  Participants included Allen Buansi, … Continue reading Chapel Hill Town Council Candidates Speak on Issues of Affordable Housing and Transportation

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Housing and Community Development, Local Government, Research Triangle

Durham’s Mayoral Candidates Discuss Affordable Housing

“Affordable housing is [not just] an asset issue, it’s a people issue.” – Farad Ali In advance of Durham’s mayoral primary on October 10th, Clarion Content organized a series of themed forums, in which the mayoral candidates were given the opportunity to answer questions from interested citizens on a topic chosen in advance. The September 27th forum was the last forum to feature all three … Continue reading Durham’s Mayoral Candidates Discuss Affordable Housing

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Housing and Community Development, Social Justice

Charm City Grit: Change in Baltimore Starts with the Community

Baltimore is a city of contradictions. Within its boundaries, one can find self-avowed social justice warriors who are determined to undo centuries of injustice in the city. One can also find people who have never left the sanctuary of whiteness of the Inner Harbor. Continue reading Charm City Grit: Change in Baltimore Starts with the Community

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Housing and Community Development, Research Triangle

NOAH: Everything You Need to Know

The first thing that may come to mind when you think of “affordable housing” is publicly subsidized housing operated by a housing authority or non-profit organization. What you may not think of, though, are the humble apartment complexes scattered across U.S. metropolitan areas which provide affordable rental housing to low and moderate income families without public subsidy. Referred to as “Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing” (NOAH) … Continue reading NOAH: Everything You Need to Know

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