Rents across the state of Missouri are skyrocketing. In fact, they are rising faster than any other state in the U.S., according to data research from Rent.com. In Kansas City, rents are up 7 percent since January 2023 to a median price of $1,644.

A housing shortage is behind those increases, impacting everything from rates of homelessness to health outcomes to economic vitality. This year’s Making a Great City series focuses on the importance of a healthy housing supply, and housing scholar Gregg Colburn kicks off the first installment.

Colburn, co-author of Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns, is also an associate professor of real estate in the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. He suggests that housing market conditions, such as the cost and availability of rental housing, drive the prevalence of homelessness in a city – even more than mental illness, drug use, or poverty.

Launched in 2018, the Making a Great City series is designed to foster the healthy growth of Kansas City and examine the ways development decisions can strengthen fiscal stability and reduce wealth disparities across the metro.