August 10, 2023

Minneapolis recently unveiled a nearly $6 million investment to address racial disparities in homeownership. The city’s Black-white homeownership gap is among the highest in the nation, sitting below 20 percent and at 77 percent. The investment will go toward turning 21 vacant lots into 40 affordable homes.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of the Interior plan to sell federal land to Nevada for $100 an acre—significantly below market value—to boost affordable housing construction in the Las Vegas region. The agreement aims to alleviate a shortage of around 85,000 housing units in Clark County.

Lakewood, Colorado, implemented growth caps in 2020 that limit new construction to preserve affordable housing. But since then, housing prices have continued to rise. A new state law prohibits explicit population and unit growth limits, leaving cities like Lakewood uncertain whether their policy will be overturned.

Charleston County, South Carolina—where rents have risen more than 30 percent in just two years—is considering new solutions to encourage affordable housing development. Local policymakers have proposed property tax breaks to incentivize for-profit companies to develop housing for residents with low and middle incomes.