Starting in about 20 mins, still time to join us!

TODAY @ 12:30 pm ET 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 How do those building and operating affordable housing assess the performance of their buildings? We'll discuss resident-centered evaluations and the management & delivery of affordable housing. mailchi.mp/harvard/toda...

There are two ingredients to rent burden: income and housing costs. It's possible for rents to go up and rent burdens go down if incomes are rising faster. But we haven’t seen that in America where rent increases have outpaced income growth. @airbrycki.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/h...

Announcing the winners of the 2026 Ivory Prize!!!!!🏆 The City of Chattanooga TradesFutures The City of New Rochelle The City of Boston: Boston Acquisition Fund @housing.boston.gov We’re excited to recognize these visionaries tackling the housing crisis! www.ivoryinnovations.org/ivory-prize

How can we tell whether affordable housing truly serves its residents? Next 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟱, join us for a conversation about how resident-centered post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) can be integrated into the delivery & ongoing management of affordable housing. www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/pos...

Spending on remodeling will grow by just 0.5% in the coming year, which is well below the rate of inflation. Projected challenges include the cost of materials and the availability of labor, our Rachel Bogardus Drew tells @marketplace.org. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...

Home improvement spending is projected to slow sharply in early 2027, according to our LIRA. Remodeling follows the housing market, so without a construction rebound, we’re likely to see remodeling spending remain in this low-growth range for the near future. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/remodel...

Older adults need services and supports, which eat into budgets, says @jenmolinsky.bsky.social. If we want an interconnected, intergenerational, robust, supportive community, we need housing options that meet all of those needs. @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...

How do we know if affordable housing works for those who live in it? On Friday, May 15, we'll examine how resident-centered post-occupancy evaluations can move us beyond design intent to improve the delivery and management of affordable housing. 👉 Register: www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/pos...

This project is so amazing. I live in @cambridgemass.bsky.social and ride my bike by there often. I never noticed it! Just kept seeing the old mansion house on Mass Ave.

Social housing isn’t public housing with a new name. It’s a different way to think about land, funding, design, and who our cities and housing are for. Four researchers sat down for a @gsd.harvard.edu roundtable discussion. @magdamaaoui.bsky.social www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/articles/soc...

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻! We are hard at work on our next State of Housing Design book, and we’re eager to hear from people involved in the design, production, and/or regulation of housing that tackles affordability, sustainability, density, etc. 👉 shorturl.at/B3B64

“We’re seeing house prices growing low single digits, basically, less than inflation,” says our director Chris Herbert. “And so while we say that house prices haven't fallen, they are falling in real terms after we account for inflation.” @marketplace.org www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...

Many older adults face a dual burden of housing and care costs, says @samarascheckler.bsky.social. And the consequences can be severe, as deferred repairs erode home equity, and as deteriorating conditions can harm health and increase social isolation. www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/r...

In a new paper, @airbrycki.bsky.social and her coauthors show that when you include tax credits, SNAP, and energy assistance, fewer low-income renters appear cost-burdened, underscoring how these policies can reduce burdens & improve the well-being of renters. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/governm...

Beyond offsetting financial woes, shared living arrangements among older adults can help combat social isolation, said @jenmolinsky.bsky.social. Homeowners over 80 are more likely to live alone than those in other age groups. @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/24/b...

Our historian & longtime Cambridge resident Alexander von Hoffman argues that we need to build and preserve modest single-family homes through zoning reform, small-lot development, ADUs, public land strategies, and policies to stop teardown-to-mansion pipelines. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/disappe...

For the third year in a row, landlords filed more than 1.2 million evictions across the 30+ cities and 10 states we track monthly. Break down the numbers with us below in our 2025 annual report 🧵 evictionlab.org/ets-report-2...

Intergenerational housing isn’t a niche idea anymore—it’s emerging as a powerful response to soaring housing costs, social isolation, and gaps in care. Thanks to Krista Sykes @gsd.harvard.edu for a great article about our recent Living Together by Design event: www.gsd.harvard.edu/2026/04/inte...

🔔 We have 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝗟𝗜𝗥𝗔) and, due to ongoing delays in the availability of underlying data, the forthcoming LIRA has been 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. Read the revised LIRA: www.jchs.harvard.edu/press-releas...

Session proposals are now being accepted for the 2026 I’m HOME Conference. The conference will be held from September 16 to 17 in Detroit and will highlight policy and technical advancements in the off-site housing industry. Proposals are due by May 14: go.lincolninst.edu/l/153411/202...

Live now: Cambridge Mayor @mayorsiddiqui.bsky.social welcomes attendees to our event about how we can use existing redevelopment authorities to create and expand social housing @harvardkennedy.bsky.social. Tune in online: www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/bey...

Still time to register to join us online today (Tues, April 14) at 4pm ET: www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/bey...

Massachusetts has an underused tool for social housing: local redevelopment authorities. A new paper argues for improved funding and capacity, a clearer mandate, and stronger coordination with housing authorities. Read the paper & join us tomorrow (April 14): www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/new-man...

Live now: @jenmolinsky.bsky.social, director of our Housing an Aging Society Program, moderates the first panel of our intergenerational housing event @gsd.harvard.edu. Tune in: www.gsd.harvard.edu/event/living...

Today @ 1pm ET, still time to register and join us online as we discuss innovative models of intergenerational housing @gsd.harvard.edu!

TOMORROW: Our afternoon event @gsd.harvard.edu will bring together leaders from architecture, planning, homebuilding, environmental gerontology, public health, and related fields to explore innovative models of intergenerational housing. mailchi.mp/harvard/tomo...

Next Tues, Apr 14, 4-6pm ET: Created in the mid-20th century to carry out urban renewal, redevelopment authorities in Massachusetts retain significant powers and are uniquely positioned to help cities and towns create new social housing. We'll discuss how. www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/bey...

This Fri, Apr 3: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 offer powerful ways to reduce social isolation, improve affordability, and strengthen supports. Join us in person @gsd.harvard.edu or online for 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻s. www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/liv...

Social housing shouldn’t just be about unit counts—it should be about the pleasure of living. In a new blog, @magdamaaoui.bsky.social argues for renovation over demolition, designing for difference and everyday life, and for resident-led design. @gsd.harvard.edu www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/pleasur...

So many good audience questions! The housing policy wonk crowd takes research design very seriously (as we should).

TAKE THE SURVEY: We are working on the next edition of The State of Housing Design book, looking at recently built housing to address affordability, social cohesion, sustainability, aesthetics, density, and urbanism. Share your thoughts by Friday, May 1. harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

WATCH: In case you missed it, @jennyschuetz.bsky.social of @arnoldventures.bsky.social joined us last week to discuss the challenge of evaluating state pro-housing policies and strategies for generating more reliable analyses. www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/mea...

Next Tues, Apr 14, @hsph.harvard.edu hosts the Mayors of Tulsa, Eugene, + others to discuss how local leaders are advancing bold strategies to address the root causes of housing instability while improving health outcomes. (HUID req. in person; virtual open to all) hsph.harvard.edu/health-and-h...

The age of the median US home is a record 44 years, well past the age when the roof needs repairs and the furnace needs replacing. The extent of maintenance and modernization needs is vast, and the cost of doing it is going up fast. @wsj.com www.wsj.com/personal-fin...

Join the Lincoln Institute and @shelterforce.bsky.social on April 16 at 1 p.m. ET for a webinar discussion of affordable housing and how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who help sustain the national housing market, can better support affordable homeownership. Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

In the podcast Harvard Thinking, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with Ed Glaeser, Jason Furman, and our former graduate research assistant Amy Tomasso about factors driving the housing crisis — and their prescriptions for fixing it. news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

The federal housing agency wants to shift money away from permanent housing and toward programs that impose sobriety and other conditions. Advocates warn that would push many back into homelessness. n.pr/4coVAgz

Lower lifetime earnings, a greater likelihood of renting, and higher rates of disability are combining to put intense financial pressure on older women, and especially on older Black women, writes @samarascheckler.bsky.social in a new blog. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/living-...

Come for the overview of state pro-housing policy, stay for the wonky research design challenges. If measurement error and endogeneity are some of your favorite words, this webinar is for you! (Said with deep affection.)

This Friday, April 3: Since 2020, more than half of US states have new laws to spur smaller, lower-cost homes. But are these pro-housing policies working? @jennyschuetz.bsky.social joins us to unpack and discuss strategies for generating more reliable analyses. www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/mea...

"Stopping big money from constructing rental homes goes a step further; it reflects a peculiar type of American populism that combines a right-wing fetish for suburbia’s homeowner society with a left-wing distrust of investment capital." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

"Hidden" costs could be alternatively framed as price uncertainty of non-mortgage homeownership costs. In recent years, many homeowners across the US have faced stable mortgage payments, but insurance costs that've risen well above expectations (and CPI-U). www.businessinsider.com/homeowners-s...

How important has immigration been for recent state population growth? My new @harvard-jchs.bsky.social blog post has an interactive state map exploring this question: www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/populat.... The patterns imply that the recent & projected declines will be felt unevenly. #MapMonday

1/3 How can our homes and neighborhoods bring generations together—reducing isolation, improving affordability, and strengthening everyday support? Next Friday, April 10, 2026, join us for a half-day hybrid event (1-5pm ET) @gsd.harvard.edu. www.jchs.harvard.edu/calendar/liv...

Population growth slowed last year, and experts blame the crackdown on immigration and the high cost of living. The decline will be felt across the country, but especially in places like Boston and Massachusetts, says our @riordanfrost.bsky.social. @wgbh.org www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Join us today @ 12:15 pm ET

Immigration fell sharply in 2025, dragging down US population growth. Census projects that immigration will be even lower in 2026, which would likely result in historically low growth. I explore how this might affect states in a new @harvard-jchs.bsky.social blog www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/populat...

US population growth is slowing and could hit historic lows as immigration drops and natural increase flatlines. States that rely on immigration may soon face outright population loss, writes @riordanfrost.bsky.social. jchs.harvard.edu/blog/population-growth-down-sharply-and-projected-fall-further

With high interest rates and prices, houses are less affordable than almost any time in recent memory. "The promise of the Sun Belt has often been more affordability... but as that wanes, that could discourage people," says @riordanfrost.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...