Richard Lawson

Richard Lawson

Journalist/writer/storyteller

Richard Lawson is an award-winning journalist on housing and adaptive reuse.

Texas Pro Housing Advocates Flip The Script On Local NIMBYs

Policy

Texas Pro Housing Advocates Flip The Script On Local NIMBYs

As Dallas and other municipalities work to re-engineer zoning to thwart state-legislated higher-density, multifamily neighborhood development, affordability champions point to California as a cautionary tale.

Nashville Leaders Unite Behind Density Push, Critics Push Back

Policy

Nashville Leaders Unite Behind Density Push, Critics Push Back

Music CIty advances a sweeping zoning reform plan to allow “missing middle” housing types citywide, aimed at adding 91,000 new homes. Supporters say it's a step to address affordability and inclusion. Critics warn the city is overstating growth projections and favoring developers.

U.S. Apartment Rents Post First Third-Quarter Drop Since 2009

Marketing & Sales

U.S. Apartment Rents Post First Third-Quarter Drop Since 2009

Apartment rents slipped for the first time since the Great Recession, signaling a cooling market driven by oversupply. Developers are pulling back—but economists warn the pause won’t last. Richard Lawson explores how and why.

North Carolina Housing Reform Falters Amid Political Gridlock

Policy

North Carolina Housing Reform Falters Amid Political Gridlock

Lawmakers aimed for sweeping statewide housing reform but settled for modest deregulation. The result: a small victory in a long, unfinished fight over affordability and zoning control.

Could Bigger Apartments Reverse America's Birth Decline?

Architecture

Could Bigger Apartments Reverse America's Birth Decline?

A new study from the Institute for Family Studies links shrinking apartments to falling birth rates. It suggests developers could help stabilize the nation’s population by building more family-sized rental homes.

Texas Pro Housing Advocates Flip The Script On Local NIMBYs

Policy

Texas Pro Housing Advocates Flip The Script On Local NIMBYs

As Dallas and other municipalities work to re-engineer zoning to thwart state-legislated higher-density, multifamily neighborhood development, affordability champions point to California as a cautionary tale.

Nashville Leaders Unite Behind Density Push, Critics Push Back

Policy

Nashville Leaders Unite Behind Density Push, Critics Push Back

Music CIty advances a sweeping zoning reform plan to allow “missing middle” housing types citywide, aimed at adding 91,000 new homes. Supporters say it's a step to address affordability and inclusion. Critics warn the city is overstating growth projections and favoring developers.

U.S. Apartment Rents Post First Third-Quarter Drop Since 2009

Marketing & Sales

U.S. Apartment Rents Post First Third-Quarter Drop Since 2009

Apartment rents slipped for the first time since the Great Recession, signaling a cooling market driven by oversupply. Developers are pulling back—but economists warn the pause won’t last. Richard Lawson explores how and why.

North Carolina Housing Reform Falters Amid Political Gridlock

Policy

North Carolina Housing Reform Falters Amid Political Gridlock

Lawmakers aimed for sweeping statewide housing reform but settled for modest deregulation. The result: a small victory in a long, unfinished fight over affordability and zoning control.

Could Bigger Apartments Reverse America's Birth Decline?

Architecture

Could Bigger Apartments Reverse America's Birth Decline?

A new study from the Institute for Family Studies links shrinking apartments to falling birth rates. It suggests developers could help stabilize the nation’s population by building more family-sized rental homes.