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Communities
Here you’ll find articles on some of the broader forces that affect the physical communities we live in, questions about what makes a community and who gets to live there, and explorations of the ways people try to shape and reclaim control over their communities.
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Clybourne Park on Stage, Housing Inequity in Real Life—A Post-Show Reflection
Clybourne Park—a play exploring race, real estate, and community tensions—can set the stage for discussion on the lasting impacts of housing discrimination, gentrification, and the fight for affordability. What lessons can we take from the past to shape a more just housing future?
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Retreating From the Coasts Makes Sense, But Our Current Approach Isn’t Working
As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we’ll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here’s how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides.
What Makes Affordable Housing ‘Green’?
There’s no one way to determine what makes “green” housing. Here’s a breakdown of the standards and considerations used by the affordable housing industry.
Beating Extreme Heat as a Community
U.S. cities don’t provide residents with enough protection against heat, the deadliest weather-related killer in the world. But in NYC, one organization came together to distribute ACs to neighbors in need.
How Policy Can Help Tenants Purchase Their Homes, a Webinar
Laws that give tenants the ability to purchase their own apartments are popping up across the country. In this webinar, a panel of folks who have been reporting on, fighting for, and using these policies offer their perspectives on this powerful anti-displacement tool.
Does Cleveland’s Plan for Public Green Space Pave the Way for Gentrification?
Who gets to benefit from neighborhood revitalization efforts, and at what cost?
D.C. Had the Country’s First TOPA Law. Could Real Estate Developers Gut It?
Developers are pushing for two exemptions to the landmark tenant rights legislation—affordable housing properties and buildings that are 25 years old or newer.
A (Much) Older Example of Social Housing Than Vienna
History often feels like a depressing account of the worst things people can do to each other. But a recent book contains reminders that nothing is inevitable, and sometimes people have done better than we’re doing now—even in terms of housing and social equity.
Let’s Harness the Growth of the Shared-Equity Field
Between 2011 and 2022, the number of nonprofits with shared-equity programs and CLTs increased by 30 percent. Here’s a look at the diversity of their programs and portfolios, and who’s benefiting from their rise.
Legitimate Debate or Short-Sighted Complaints? 5 Reasons Affordable Housing Is Expensive to Build
There’s no denying that affordable housing can be expensive to build. But we need to look at the long-term benefits of those investments to see the bigger picture.
How ‘Tenant Stewards’ Are Using TOPA to Form a Co-op
Organized by a pandemic-era mutual aid group, this housing cooperative is taking advantage of D.C.’s pioneering Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. But the pressure of paying back a loan with mounting interest could stymie the group’s plans to provide affordable housing.
Q: What Are the Three Major Types of Community- or Resident-Controlled Housing and How Do They Work?
There’s a lot of momentum toward resident-controlled housing. Do you know the three major forms it takes?
Shelterforce’s Top 10 Stories of 2023
What were the biggest Shelterforce stories of the year? We count down the top 10 of 2023.