Topic

affordable housing

The fastest way to ease the housing crisis? Rent control

Op-ed by Tram Hoang, a senior associate at PolicyLink, a national research and action institute and Mark Paul, associate professor at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Massachusetts is losing its working families. Not just to...

EJB Talks: Planning, Policy, Politics, and the Path to Office

This week on EJB talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro talks to Bloustein alumnus Katie Brennan MCRP ’12, now an Assemblywoman in New Jersey’s 32nd District. Katie reflects on how her early exposure to housing instability, volunteer work, and her undergraduate policy studies shaped her belief that “everything is a housing issue.”

Pallavi Shinde (MCRP ’12) Featured in Planning Magazine

Pallavi Shinde (MCRP ’12), Planning and Zoning Director for the Newark, is featured on the cover of Planning Magazine (American Planning Association), Winter 2026 edition. The cover story highlights Newark’s leadership in adaptive reuse, showcasing how underutilized office and historic commercial buildings are being transformed into much-needed housing and vibrant mixed-use spaces downtown.

Why are New Jersey housing costs continuing to rise — and who should pay for affordable housing?

Hughes said if federal immigrant deportations continue, home construction costs could soon rise even higher in the Garden State.

“The builders are heavily dependent on immigrant labor, particularly roofing, so they’re facing significant labor shortages,” he said.

He said tariffs could also cause housing price increases, depending on how they ultimately wind up.

“We import a lot of lumber, we import a lot of drywall, a lot of washing machines, appliances and the like,” Hughes said.

Some Studies Challenge Long-Held Views on Rent Control

As rents soar across California and housing affordability slips further out of reach for millions, an intensifying debate over rent control is being fueled by a growing stack of academic research. For decades, real estate interests and conservative economists have...

NJSPL: Affordable Housing Database for Older Adults in NJ

A collaboration between the New Jersey State Policy Lab and the Rutgers Hub for Aging Collaboration addressed this gap by compiling a census of all housing apartments available for older adults with low income.  The census is available to the public to view here and includes a searchable database and an interactive map of New Jersey, representing existing and potential assisted living program sites throughout the state.

Stamato Commentary: First-time homebuyers need hand up, not handout

In order to help people not earning quite enough to qualify for a private loan, Linda Stamato advocates for the creation of public banks, as promised by Gov. Murphy in Executive Order 91. Public banks would provide capital for affordable housing and assist underserved communities.

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