The hottest Urban Development Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Expensive Cities Aren't Attractive Cities: I swear, the last post

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 295 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Cities that are expensive to live in often push out lower-income residents. This leads to a loss of diversity and change in community dynamics.
  2. The income levels in these cities can be misleading. Much of the high income averages come from the remaining, more affluent residents after the poorer ones leave.
  3. Simply being a popular or thriving city doesn't guarantee economic excellence. Many such cities suffer from issues that make them less appealing for all residents.

Follow Up: Market Segmentation in Housing

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 105 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Texas and Maine are pushing for new housing reforms that support urban development. This aims to make housing more accessible and tackle current shortages.
  2. California is making big changes to its housing laws that could allow for more building near public transit. This might help lower housing costs and increase availability.
  3. While recent laws in California are hopeful, they also introduce fees that could make building new homes more expensive. This could complicate efforts to increase affordable housing.

Expensive Cities Aren't Attractive Cities: Follow Up

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 273 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Expensive cities are usually not as desirable as people think. They often have high rents and limited growth due to strict building rules.
  2. Increasing the number of homes over time can help lower housing costs, but this process takes years and won't cause quick drops in prices.
  3. Arguments against the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement often rely on unproven claims. In reality, cities that allow more development can remain affordable and vibrant.

In Defense of Inclusionary Zoning

Urben Field Notes • 70 implied HN points • 14 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Inclusionary zoning can help create affordable housing by requiring developers to set aside some units for lower-income residents. When done right, it can work alongside overall housing production.
  2. A well-designed inclusionary zoning policy should account for local market conditions and be flexible to ensure it's effective. Poorly designed policies can actually hurt housing availability.
  3. Successful examples of inclusionary zoning exist in cities like New York and Montgomery County, where the focus is on integrating affordable units into desirable areas, helping to increase diversity and community support.

Trees and Politics

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 239 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Seattle has a history of cutting down trees for economic gain, starting from the days of early settlers.
  2. There is a recent shift towards valuing trees and nature for their benefits to both the ecosystem and human health.
  3. The city council is revising the Tree Protection Ordinance, but the proposed changes may not be strong enough to protect trees and support the community effectively.
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Can Jeremy Corbyn save HS3?

Odds and Ends of History • 67 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana are starting a new political party focused on housing and energy issues. They want to address the concerns of the populist left.
  2. The podcast discusses two housing projects in Peckham and Edgware, showing how affordable housing influences community decisions.
  3. Former nuclear minister Philip Hunt shares insights on energy projects like Sizewell C and the need for Britain's energy future.

Households and Houses

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 168 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. There's a big housing shortage in the U.S., with millions of homes missing compared to the number of households that want them. This means many people can't find decent places to live.
  2. Most new building has focused on single-family homes, but there's a growing need for more apartments. Many cities have rules that make it hard to build these apartments, which worsens the housing situation.
  3. To fix the housing problem, we can either try to stop investment in single-family home rentals or change the laws to build more apartments. Making it easier to build apartments is a better choice for everyone.

San Francisco grows up and slims down

Urben Field Notes • 189 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Urban Development
  1. San Francisco is changing its building rules, allowing taller, skinnier apartment buildings. This is a big shift in how the city builds new homes.
  2. The new buildings will replace old, less useful structures, helping neighborhoods grow without destroying local history. They also offer space for small shops, making the area more vibrant.
  3. A new law is making it quicker to approve housing projects, which could lead to more of these new developments actually being built. This opens up opportunities for people to find homes in the city.

The Housing Shortage by Metro Area, Part 3

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 189 implied HN points • 29 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Many cities have the ability to build more homes. This could help solve the housing shortage that many areas are facing right now.
  2. Some regions struggle with local rules that make it hard to build new homes, while others have been affected by tight mortgage lending practices.
  3. The Midwest has been particularly hit by the lack of new housing construction, even with growing demand, mainly due to mortgage issues from the last decade.

The Housing Shortage by Metro Area, Part 2

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 189 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. There's a significant housing shortage in many metro areas, estimated to be about 10% of the total housing stock nationwide. This means many places don't have enough homes for everyone who wants to live there.
  2. The housing shortage has changed over time, often depending on local conditions and policies. Some areas had bigger shortages in the past due to population movement and construction slowdowns.
  3. When housing production drops, it usually leads to people moving away from cities with limited homes. This creates a cycle where demand keeps rising, but construction can't keep up, leading to more shortages.

I'm Moving to the Edge of Bangalore

Kartick’s Blog • 52 implied HN points • 02 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Urban Development
  1. Living in a busy city can lead to stress and health issues. Long commutes and traffic can make daily life feel heavy and overwhelming.
  2. Smaller cities often offer a better quality of life with cleaner environments and less chaos. Sometimes, the hustle and bustle of a megacity isn't worth the trade-offs.
  3. Finding a balance between work and personal life is important. A better living situation can help improve overall well-being and performance at work.

Updating my priors on missing middle

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 379 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
💼 Business Urban Development
  1. Missing middle housing developments can be more impactful in addressing housing affordability issues than previously thought.
  2. Simply advocating for 'build more' without considering the complexity and various factors at play may not fully address housing supply constraints.
  3. Increasing the construction of 'missing middle' housing units significantly could play a crucial role in normalizing the American housing market and addressing housing shortages.

The Power Broker

Kvetch • 38 implied HN points • 24 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Robert Moses was a powerful figure in New York City, known for building major infrastructure like parks and bridges while evicting many residents to do so. His drive for power often overshadowed the human cost of his actions.
  2. The story also highlights how great ambition can lead to a person's downfall. Moses achieved monumental success but ended up feeling bitter and forgotten in his later years.
  3. The book raises questions about the balance between strong leadership and democratic processes. It suggests that while effective leaders can get things done, they can also impose their will without considering the needs of the community.

L.A. Will Keep Having Catastrophic Fires No Matter Who You Blame

KERFUFFLE • 131 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Urban Development
  1. Los Angeles is naturally a grassland, not a desert, and wildfires are part of its ecosystem. This means that as long as we live there, we're going to deal with fires.
  2. Urban development in L.A. happened very quickly, making it one of the few cities that sits right next to wild nature. This close proximity makes it more likely for fires to spread from wild areas to neighborhoods.
  3. Many of the problems with wildfires come from development patterns established long ago. The places where we live today were built before the fire risks were fully understood.

Credit Where Credit Is Due: Nashville & Charlotte!

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 105 implied HN points • 30 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Nashville has a unique housing law that helps build affordable starter homes, making it a great place for newcomers. It's important to look at different regions when discussing housing costs.
  2. Charlotte also deserves recognition for managing housing prices better than expected. It's not just the well-known cities that have good housing policies.
  3. Overall, housing costs have risen in Nashville, Charlotte, and Austin over the years, but these cities still have relatively better conditions compared to others. Keeping an eye on varied areas can provide a fuller picture of the housing market.

On Solarpunk #9

On Solarpunk • 78 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Urban Development
  1. Freiburg, Germany has sustainable neighborhoods like Vauban and Rieselfeld with eco-friendly designs and low car usage.
  2. In the US, there are few similar projects to Freiburg like Ithaca's Ecovillage and Culdesac Tempe, showcasing alternatives to traditional housing.
  3. Community involvement and advocacy played a crucial role in shaping Vauban's development, showcasing the importance of public engagement in sustainable housing projects.

The Third Blow

Journal of Free Black Thought • 30 implied HN points • 11 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Federal Urban Renewal projects in the 1950s and 1960s destroyed many Black neighborhoods, taking away homes and businesses. This led to a loss of generational wealth for Black families who had worked hard to build it.
  2. These projects often pushed Black residents into overcrowded and poorer areas, creating pockets of concentrated poverty. This makes it really hard for families to improve their situation and find better opportunities.
  3. The problems caused by Urban Renewal are still affecting Black communities today. Many people struggle with high poverty rates because of these policies, and economic growth hasn't helped everyone equally.

Rent inflation since Covid

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 126 implied HN points • 08 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Rent prices have risen significantly since Covid, especially in areas with low housing supply. This has caused many families to struggle with housing costs.
  2. After a temporary shift in housing demand during the pandemic, some families moved away from expensive urban areas. However, this has led to rising rents in previously cheaper neighborhoods.
  3. Currently, rent inflation seems to be moderating, which is good news for families. If housing construction continues to grow, it could help families afford better living situations.

Against Agglomeration Economies

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 252 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Urban Development
  1. Economists often overemphasize the productivity of cities as the reason for expensive housing, leading to misdiagnoses and biases.
  2. High income gains have been observed in cities that didn't experience significant growth in housing units, challenging the concept of agglomeration economies.
  3. Income disparities among cities have increased over time, with a significant impact from Closed Access displacement, showing the importance of considering factors beyond productivity in city assessments.

Expensive Cities Aren't Attractive Cities: One Last Word

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 105 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Expensive cities aren't necessarily better places to live. They often face issues like high housing costs and displacement of lower-income residents.
  2. Geographic inequality is a big problem, with only a few cities offering better opportunities and amenities. Many other cities have the potential to be great but aren't being developed.
  3. To make cities better, we need to focus on building affordable and accessible spaces rather than just following trends of what is currently expensive.

October 2024 Erdmann Housing Tracker Update

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 105 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
💰 Finance Urban Development
  1. Rents are going up because there's not enough housing supply. Even as rents rise, home prices continue to reflect this shortage.
  2. Since the housing crisis in 2008, homes in larger cities have generally become cheaper, while smaller cities have seen their prices increase. The mortgage restrictions ended up making things worse for affordable housing.
  3. The main issue with housing costs isn't about big-city advantages, but rather it's about how difficult it is to build new homes in many areas, leading to a supply problem.

Berkeley's Upzoning Would Be Among Nation's Largest

The Discourse Lounge • 204 HN points • 17 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Berkeley is considering a zoning reform that would allow for over 100,000 additional homes, making it one of the largest zoning changes in the U.S. per capita.
  2. The city's historical use of exclusionary zoning kept out non-rich and minority residents but is now facing a significant shift to allow for 'Missing Middle' housing.
  3. Proposed changes aim to remove density limits, increase affordable housing options, consider fire safety, and encourage alternative transportation methods like cycling and public transit.

Tell me what you want (in this publication)

The New Urban Order • 39 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
💼 Business Urban Development
  1. The author is looking to engage with their audience through new ways like podcasts and events in 2024.
  2. The publication features a diverse range of subscribers with unique backgrounds and focuses, such as urban housing design, homelessness initiatives, and carbon footprint awareness.
  3. There is a call for readers to share their thoughts and preferences through a short survey, encouraging engagement with the publication.

What Homes Are Missing (by Tenure)?

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 84 implied HN points • 11 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Many families are moving from cities with low homeownership to suburbs where buying homes is easier. This shift is due to different housing policies in urban areas that limit new building.
  2. There is a significant shortage of homes, estimated to be around 10 million units. This shortage is partly caused by barriers to mortgage access and the decline in new home construction.
  3. The market for rental homes is expected to grow because of the high demand for housing. However, local rules and costs may prevent enough new homes from being built to meet this demand.

Why more housing appears to make things worse

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 168 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
💰 Finance Urban Development
  1. About 30-40% of people don't believe increasing housing supply will lower prices or rents.
  2. In cities with limited housing supply, population growth can lead to decreased housing availability, impacting affordability.
  3. Cities that don't build enough housing can have negative impacts on low-income residents, forcing displacement and exacerbating housing affordability issues.

Recent Research Curiosities

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 119 implied HN points • 01 Dec 22
💾 History Urban Development
  1. There was a secret code used by miners in the 1890s that raises questions about corporate espionage or just a fun way to communicate. It included strange words that make you wonder what they really meant.
  2. The Central Building in Seattle had a unique 'Chamber of Commerce Observatory' that offered views of the growing city rather than the stars. It was a place to see the opportunities in Seattle's development.
  3. A visit to the old observatory found it empty but still with great views. It used to be a public space but now could be a nice spot for writers to observe city life.

Liberty and the City

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic • 21 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Buenos Aires saw a 40% drop in rental prices, but this is misleading. While rents did decrease, it overlooks the complex issues surrounding the housing market and affordability.
  2. Rent control that was in place for years caused past rent increases and a drop in rental supply, leading to informal rental markets. Removing this control helped stabilize the market, but issues of affordability remain due to low wages.
  3. Home buying in Argentina is difficult because mortgages are rare and expensive. The lack of a developed credit system and high inflation means many people can't afford to buy a home, leading to a housing shortage.

At First You Don't Succeed

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 119 implied HN points • 17 Nov 22
💾 History Urban Development
  1. Building projects can face lots of unexpected problems, like the Montlake Cut in Seattle, which had issues with the ground underneath.
  2. Sometimes things just don't work out on the first try, as seen when workers had to build new cofferdams multiple times before finally succeeding.
  3. Patience and safety are important, especially in big projects, as rushing can lead to dangerous situations for workers.

Street Notes 5: Hot for District Cooling in Austin, Texas

Parachute • 39 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Urban Development
  1. Infrastructure and climate solutions often go unnoticed when they work well, but stand out when they fail.
  2. District cooling is like neighborhood-wide air conditioning and can lead to lower utility bills and help prevent power outages.
  3. District cooling plants offer benefits like space-saving, resilience to power outages, and should be celebrated as an efficient climate solution.

Build housing in S.F.'s Presidio? It's not as crazy as it sounds.

Urben Field Notes • 48 implied HN points • 29 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Building housing in San Francisco's Presidio is a feasible idea. There is space available that won't harm nature or historic sites.
  2. A new model of social housing could work well in the Presidio. This means creating affordable homes by mixing different income levels in one area.
  3. People should discuss how much new development is right for the Presidio. Finding a balance between more housing and keeping the area beautiful is important.

Shipping News

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 139 implied HN points • 12 May 22
💾 History Urban Development
  1. Ballast is the heavy material ships carry to keep stable, and it has been made from various materials over time, like rocks, bricks, and even lentils in ancient times.
  2. In Seattle, ballast rocks from trade ships resulted in an area called Ballast Island, which became a refuge for Native people displaced by urban development.
  3. Ballast has often been overlooked and discarded, even though it holds many stories about history, trade, and the connections between places.

Tram trains

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 15 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Tram-trains can help smaller cities improve public transport by connecting areas that trains and trams currently don't reach. This makes it easier for people to get around without needing a car.
  2. Karlsruhe in Germany shows how tram-trains can work by running on both tram and train tracks. This setup has significantly boosted ridership and made travel times faster for passengers.
  3. While tram-trains have their limits, they offer an affordable way for cities to enhance transit systems, especially where traditional trains aren't efficient or practical.

Unique Locations of Rich Cities

Erik Examines • 44 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
💾 History Urban Development
  1. Cities become rich not just because of resources, but often due to their location. Being in the right place for trade can make a huge difference.
  2. Historical and modern successful cities like Singapore, Amsterdam, and London thrived because they were trade hubs. They had good harbors and access to important waterways.
  3. Even if a city has challenges like diversity or resource scarcity, its strategic location can lead to economic success. This shows that trade routes and connections can often matter more than local resources.

Gentrification as a housing problem

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 16 implied HN points • 09 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Urban Development
  1. Gentrification happens when higher-income people move into a neighborhood, often pushing out lower-income residents. Better housing supply can help absorb new residents without causing displacement.
  2. Rent controls might help keep some people in their homes temporarily, but they often lead to poorer living conditions and can worsen housing affordability in the long run.
  3. To balance gentrification's impacts, creating more housing options and including community voices in development decisions can make neighborhoods better for both newcomers and existing residents.

San Francisco and Miami. Hot or not?

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 84 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
💼 Business Urban Development
  1. The Case-Shiller home price index shows Miami hitting new highs while San Francisco has been declining.
  2. Both San Francisco and Miami have low housing production, with Miami consistently slightly higher in construction than San Francisco.
  3. San Francisco's construction activity seems to be waning, despite expectations for increased housing due to YIMBY wins and new state laws.

YIMBies Overpromise

Wooly's Post Repository • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23
💼 Business Urban Development
  1. The data on housing prices and construction can be confusing and counterintuitive, leading to difficulties in drawing clear conclusions.
  2. YIMBY goals require a significant amount of construction to impact housing prices, but achieving such high construction rates can be challenging.
  3. Confidence in real estate research should be lowered due to the complexity and potential errors in the data, making it important to approach conclusions with caution.