zoning laws

Dueling signs dot Virginia's Arlington County as residents debate the zoning reform proposal. This photo first appeared in DCist. Click here to read that story.

The U.S. needs more affordable housing – where to put it is a bigger battle

5:00am February 11, 2023

American suburbs mandated single-family homes generations ago, often to segregate areas by race and class. New laws allow more-affordable options like townhomes but construction so far has been slow.

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Health & Safety

Winston Weaver Company won't be back at former site. New zoning rules and other codes see to it.

4:52pm January 31, 2023

by David Ford

One year ago, a major fire broke out in Winston-Salem that had the potential for catastrophic damage.

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Hurricane Irma damaged homes in the Florida Keys in 2017. A new study finds buildings in the contiguous U.S. are concentrated in disaster-prone areas.

Science

More Than Half Of U.S. Buildings Are In Places Prone To Disaster, Study Finds

7:00am June 24, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Buildings are concentrated in places that are likely to be hit by a disaster such as a hurricane, flood or wildfire, researchers found. That includes both urban and rural hotspots.

Oregon's Legislature passed a bill that would allow duplexes, like this one in Portland, in areas zoned for single-family housing in cities with more than 10,000 people.

National

Oregon Legislature Votes To Essentially Ban Single-Family Zoning

8:18pm July 01, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

The bill makes duplexes allowable in cities over 10,000 people, and quadplexes legal in the Portland metro area. It's part of a growing change to zoning policy amid a national housing crisis.

The winning design for the American Institute of Architects' competition to design a tiny house community for Chicago was built in two days and displayed at the University of Illinois, Chicago campus.

National

As A Guerrilla Movement, Tiny Homes May Emerge As Alternative To Shelters

1:57pm May 04, 2016

by Cheryl Corley

Tiny homes are a growing solution to homeless veterans and vulnerable youth, especially those who identify as LGBTQ. But the movement faces challenges from regulations and neighbors across the nation.

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