Property taxes date back to at least the 1600s, making up an average 70 percent of local government revenue. They pay for schools, police, fire, infrastructure and more. But as property values increase so do property taxes, pricing some people out of their homes. States are scrambling to offer relief. But is it enough and are there alternatives? Property taxes can be confusing. Ohio produced this video to […]
COVID reminded scientific researcher and author Nils Peterson that multigenerational living does work and people used to do it more often. He sees it as a way to control urban sprawl and preserve the nature we so desperately need. One way is by building accessory dwelling units or backyard cottages. Peterson is working with his community to do just that. Balancing housing and nature North […]
Residents are increasingly taking charge of their neighborhoods. One example involves the conversion of an old chemical plant in West Louisville, Kentucky into affordable housing. Another is in Carmel, Indiana where neighborhood ambassadors are helping residents articulate a vision for the future. Cincinnati’s Yard & Co. is behind those efforts and more. The Neighborhood Playbook, written by Yard & Co., is almost a decade old, […]
Pedestrian safety is deteriorating at a faster rate than road safety for other users, according to the World Health Organization. The agency has set a goal of decreasing deaths and injuries by 50 percent in five years. Speed humps and redesigned roads are among the top solutions and are gradually slowing people down. The problem According to 2023 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, every 72 minutes a pedestrian dies in a traffic crash. That totals 7,314. […]
Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. don’t have enough food to eat and what they do have probably isn’t the most nutritious, leading to possible health problems later in life. Food banks and food rescue organizations are helping (we’ll cover those in another episode), but so are community markets and urban gardens. They’re working to fill the gap by providing fresh fruit and vegetables […]
State Ave. Lofts By the end of the year, low-income renters, some making as little as $47,000, will be able to move into apartments in two newly renovated Lower Price Hill historic buildings. Cincinnati and Hamilton County leaders are celebrating the addition of a dozen apartments on State Avenue along with nonprofit housing agencies who acknowledge the county is short 31,200 units for extremely low-income […]
As the population continues to grow, the U.S. has failed to keep up with needed housing. Developers and cities see opportunities, but neighborhoods don’t always agree with the plan and want an avenue to block construction. What kind of an impact can everyday citizens have in their own backyard on housing and other types of development? Cincinnati’s Hyde Park To an outsider, a plan to […]
Every year hundreds of thousands of people are released from prison in the U.S., millions more leave local jails. The barriers they face to find housing are enormous. But some communities are working to expand access and increase the supply. How are they doing it? By the numbers Barriers to housing If family ties have been severed, somebody leaving jail may be on their own […]
If the U.S. builds as many homes as it did last year, experts predict it will take an average of seven and a half years to close the housing gap. How do we speed up construction? One way might be to increase the production of 3D printed houses. This technology is starting to take off in Texas and a few other states. Could it make […]
The U.S. is short four to seven million units of housing. Vacant land owned by the government may be able to help ease the gap. Most of it near urban areas and transit lines, is controlled by local governments. And with the help of the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS), communities are starting to realize they may have land to build more housing. In 2024 […]
