A five-minute walk from Arizona State’s Tempe campus, rows of high-rise student apartment towers line the streets. Modern gyms, rooftop pools and rent prices that start around $1,500 for a one-bedroom and climb fast from there. A few blocks farther out, the buildings shift: older beige complexes with aging air conditioners, crippling staircases, and, according to their website, rent that still pushes $1,100 for a space that hasn’t been updated in over a decade. For many students, this is the “affordable” option.

Together, these buildings tell the story of Tempe’s housing crisis, one shaped by decades of rapid growth, rising student enrollment and development patterns that favor luxury over livability.