A solution to the housing shortage?

San Francisco is popularizing centralized water reuse systems that collect blackwater from toilets and sinks and greywater from showers and washing machines to clean it and use it again. This is a cheaper, more sustainable option for nonpotable water used to water plants or flush toilets in a city struggling with water scarcity.

Babcock Ranch, Florida, weathered Hurricane Ian with minimal damage and full power because of development decisions like installing solar power, underground infrastructure, and building every building above code.

Cambridge’s new zoning reform lessens housing restrictions by allowing property owners and developers to build six-story apartments — through a process called upzoning — to accommodate more residents on a single lot in areas that were previously restricted to single-family homes. The city previously aimed to build 350 new units by 2040, but with the new zoning reform, that estimate has grown to 4,880.

Google’s Green Light project uses data from internet-connected vehicles and navigation apps to adjust the timing of traffic lights to be more responsive to real-world traffic patterns. The project is already in operation in several cities — from Hamburg to Seattle — and data in those cities suggest the system yields a 30% decrease in stop-and-go traffic at intersections.

The affordable housing crisis in Eagle, Colorado, is creating a severe staff shortage in local schools. So, the school district is partnering with organizations and developers like Habitat for Humanity to develop a mix of new apartments and houses that will be made available to school employees at affordable prices.

The Housing Helps program in the popular tourist town of Breckenridge, Colorado, provides homeowners, buyers, and businesses providing housing for their employees with funding for repairs, assessments, and down payments. The program aims to support home preservation and supply more affordable housing for locals.

Developers and government officials are turning to a slew of different methods to address the affordable housing shortage in Sacramento, California. They’re developing micro apartments that are less than 500 square feet and allowing homeowners to build accessory dwelling units on their land, for example.

Micro apartment communities with rent prices well below the city average are popping up in Sacramento as a way to address the affordable housing crisis. The units in these buildings are often significantly less than 500 square feet, can house no more than two people, and must provide a kitchen and a bathroom. To live there, tenants have to meet specific income requirements.

Across the country, cities are pursuing office-to-housing conversions after the pandemic decimated downtown business districts. A percentage of these new apartments are required to be offered at affordable, below-market rates and some cities are also offering tax breaks for developers to incentivize these conversions.

A 51-story skyscraper in Jakarta, Indonesia, built with a belt-truss system kept workers safe and working during an earthquake. The system reduces vibration and movement by linking some of the walls and frames of the building.