NYC project looks to support climate law with building inspection tech

The AI-powered technology under development uses robots and drone scans to detect structural flaws that reduce energy efficiency.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 16, 2023

Notable 2024 conferences for smart city leaders

Newly added events focus on traffic safety, technology and green infrastructure.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Aug. 2, 2024

Will LA hotels be required to house homeless people alongside their guests?

The Responsible Hotels Ordinance, if enacted, would require every hotel in Los Angeles to report its vacancies to the municipal government.

By Noelle Mateer • Oct. 4, 2023

US Census reports shift in top reasons for moving

Family-related moves have become more common, bouncing back from a COVID-era drop.

By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 29, 2023

Unused parking adds over $2M to typical multifamily projects: study

New Jersey should adopt new parking ratio standards that better align with usage, a Rutgers University white paper proposes.

By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 27, 2023

Boston launches pilot to help small housing owners go electric

Two- to four-unit buildings are the city’s most common building type. Boston hopes the new grant program will yield lessons on scaling up building decarbonization.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 22, 2023

Airbnb’s marketing touts short-term rental benefits as local restrictions tighten

Restrictions such as New York’s Local Law 18 may have a greater impact on the city’s residents and tourism economy than on the company.

By Aaron Baar • Sept. 20, 2023

To improve multifamily housing energy efficiency and resiliency, HUD offers $4.8B for retrofits

The first round of the $4.8 billion GRRP covers upgrades for 28 rent-assisted properties.

By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 18, 2023

Reforms could add 300K housing units to New York City over 10 years: report

With the city’s housing costs surging to unprecedented levels, RAND Corp. researchers examined the most promising policy reforms.

By Danielle McLean • Sept. 11, 2023

Apartment owners don’t feel impacts from Hollywood writers’ strike — yet

Despite few effects so far, a prolonged work stoppage could exacerbate occupancy issues in Los Angeles.

By Leslie Shaver • Aug. 21, 2023

Boston grants aim to lower carbon footprint of affordable housing

Building owners can get up to $10,000 each for comprehensive energy assessments.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 16, 2023

As rents continue to rise, legislators eye new regulations

Ongoing affordability challenges have led lawmakers to consider rent control and fee notifications, data provider Yardi said in its most recent report.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 15, 2023

Tiny houses for the homeless: What 2 nonprofits have learned to date

Nonprofit leaders from Syracuse, New York, and Kansas City, Missouri, discuss the benefits and challenges of using tiny houses to provide shelter for the unhoused.

By Amanda Loudin • Aug. 15, 2023

Millions in back rent due in Los Angeles

This collective debt has raised concerns about a potential wave of evictions, despite the city’s efforts to keep residents housed while also supporting landlords.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 14, 2023

How ‘snob zoning’ blocks opportunity

Exclusionary zoning policies’ problems — and possible solutions – are on the mind of Richard Kahlenberg, author of the new book “Excluded.”

By Joan Mooney • Aug. 10, 2023

Office-to-residential, other adaptive reuse construction reaches record high

Los Angeles has the largest development pipeline in the country, followed by New York City and Chicago.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 9, 2023

Boston mayor bans fossil fuels in new city-owned buildings

The executive order, which also prohibits fossil fuel use in renovations of existing city-owned structures, is part of a larger push for carbon neutrality by 2050.

By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 8, 2023

New housing crisis measures announced by Biden administration

Communities that remove housing production barriers, such as through zoning reform, and encourage commercial-to-residential conversions could qualify for new federal grants.

By Danielle McLean • Aug. 4, 2023

Commercial-to-residential conversions could accelerate under HUD initiative

Building industry experts say the Housing and Urban Development Department grant will give much-needed guidance on projects stalled by zoning hurdles and outdated permitting processes.

By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 4, 2023

How to safely store e-bikes, e-scooters in apartments

The uptick in micromobility battery fires shows electrification is "moving faster than we’re able to necessarily adapt to," a fire protection expert at an engineering consulting firm said.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 3, 2023

Emergency financial assistance reduces risk of homelessness

Households were 81% less likely to become homeless within six months when they received money through one California county’s program, a new study finds. 

By Danielle McLean • July 31, 2023

Regulations, building layouts impede office conversion projects

Even as Congress faces pressure to overhaul outdated permitting processes, builders, architects and property owners cite complex zoning laws as barriers to converting existing office space to residential and other uses.

By Nish Amarnath • July 24, 2023

California clears path for safe conversion of underused commercial buildings

The California Building Standards Commission’s vote to amend existing building code allows multiple compliance paths for adaptive reuse.

By Nish Amarnath • July 24, 2023

Cost concerns spur North Carolina’s move to delay vote on building code update

The state’s Building Code Council has shelved a vote on a proposed overhaul of building energy efficiency rules as it waits for reports detailing the costs and benefits of implementing the changes. 

By Nish Amarnath • July 24, 2023

Seattle downtown revitalization plan reimagines area post-pandemic

The plan aims to make downtown safer and more welcoming, but critics say it comes at a cost for people living on the streets.

By Joan Mooney • July 24, 2023