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Off-Site Construction Offers Partial Solution to Housing Crunch

Matt Hoisch

October 01, 2021 |

Koto Radio |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Norwood, Colorado

A housing initiative is providing affordable housing for local workers in Norwood, Colorado. The Telluride Foundation is building houses in factories which significantly reduces the price of buying a home, making home ownership a possibility for residents who live and work in the town.

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How Building Community Value puts local development into the hands of Detroiters

Rhonda J. Smith

September 23, 2021 |

Detour Detroit |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Students of the Better Buildings, Better Blocks class are getting a lesson in real estate development. Not only do participants have the chance to build a business, they will also be doing it in their own neighborhoods and therefore investing in their own community. The course was hatched as an idea to work toward bridging the racial wealth gap and allowing Black community members in Detroit to access real estate development projects.

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Some Mountain Towns are Eyeing Vancouver-style Vacancy Taxes. Could it Help Address Housing Crises?

Kyle Mackie

September 21, 2021 |

Jackson Hole Community Radio (KHOL) |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver’s taxes on vacant residences have reduced the number of empty homes and apartments. The tax on empty homes was levied in an effort to ease the lack of housing, especially affordable housing. The tax has generated money for affordable housing projects in addition to encouraging property owners to rent out their residences. The success of the tax is encouraging other cities to enact similar laws.

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House hunting apps giving agents a run for their money

Graham Kajilwa

September 16, 2021 |

The Standard |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

xPodd is a real-time service that connects tenants to landlords whose listings match their specifications. The app helps prospective tenants navigate Nairobi’s competitive and fast-moving real estate market. Tenants fill out detailed specifications about what they are looking for and xPodd aims to connect them with at least three matching landlords for a small fee. Once matched, they get photos of the houses, their respective GPS locations, and contact information for the landlord. They also receive a number for a xPodd official who can go with prospective tenants to complete the deal.

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The great experiment—Can resident-owned mobile home parks save manufactured housing communities?

Angela K. Evans

September 16, 2021 |

Boulder Weekly |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder, Colorado

Mobile home owners in Colorado are beginning to own their own communities due in part to legislation that is making it easier to do so. Resident-owned communities preserve the affordable housing stock, which manufactured home communities make up a large percentage of.

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9 Potential Solutions to Keep Chicagoans Safer From Fires

Cecilia Reyes Madison Hopkins

August 02, 2021 |

Better Government Association |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Many cities have experienced tragic deaths in rental apartments, but Chicago's poor record in this realm is compounded by officials' refusal to concede systemic problems. So, to follow up on an earlier report about those problems, reporters compiled a list of nine effective policies and which other cities use them. In each of the areas, Chicago has failed to adopt policies that in other places have made fire safety a priority, starting with routine inspections, effective enforcement of regulations, and licensing and tracking of landlords to more easily spot scofflaws.

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Vail Pays Property Owners To Keep Housing For Local Workers. Could It Work In Idaho?

Rachel D. Cohen

July 20, 2021 |

Boise State Public Radio (KBSX) |

Multi-Media |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Ketchum, Idaho

An affordable housing initiative in Vail, Colorado is paying owners to reserve rentals for those who live in the area year-round, instead of selling to part-time residents. The success of the program is inspiring Ketchum, Idaho, a community on the search for affordable-housing solutions.

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Could casitas help prevent displacement in the West's cities?

Jessica Kutz

July 08, 2021 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

Casitas, also known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), are being legalized and promoted by several western states. Arizona is the latest to legalize ADUs in a bid to ease the shortage of affordable housing. An ADU pilot in Denver is helping moderate-income homeowners build units in rapidly gentrifying areas. They are incentivized to rent these ADUs at affordable rates, providing a benefit to homeowners as well as future renters.

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How a Kansas City neighborhood is transforming its dangerous and abandoned buildings

Celisa Calacal

June 28, 2021 |

The Kansas City Beacon |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

A neighborhood association is renovating dilapidated and neglected houses into livable homes that have transformed the look and feel of neighborhoods in Kansas City. The Lykins Neighborhood Association is able to assume ownership over houses slated for demolition by using Missouri’s Abandoned Housing act. “The result: A neglected house becomes a livable home.”

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The problem fueling the essential housing crisis and how to fix it

Jamie Boll Jessica Dyer

June 25, 2021 |

WBTV-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte's tight housing market can prove unaffordable to young professionals, with high rents equal to half a person's income. The "essential housing" niche, a middle ground between luxury homes and lower-cost "affordable" housing, provides an opportunity to economize on construction costs and pass those savings on to renters. Fewer apartment floor plan options and fancy amenities can translate into rents up to $700 less, a marketing strategy that has given the developer a strong rental business – and its younger customers a relative bargain in an expensive market.

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