Blessed with an innate resilience, Philadelphia's brick rowhouses risk disrepair and redevelopment. Local nonprofits are looking for ways to keep this resource equitable.
Last year, Philadelphia's city council "approved the strategic plan of a new land bank to target the redevelopment of thousands of vacant buildings, lots and other tax-delinquent properties."
But the appearance of dilapidation can be deceptive: the city's rowhouses have good bones. "'Our brick rowhomes are those houses that the wolf couldn't blow down in the three little pigs story,' says Karen Black, a former civil rights lawyer and current CEO of May 8 Consulting."
The Healthy Rowhouse Project challenges oncoming gentrification, arguing that existing stock will always be more affordable than new units, "'because it costs more than $300,000 to build a single unit of affordable housing,' says Black. 'At the same time, we can repair an existing home that people are already living in for $10,000 or less.'"
Meanwhile, others want to make it harder for speculators to displace longtime residents. The Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities (PCAC) has proposed a so-called "flip tax" that "would tack on a 1.5 percent fee to the city's 4 percent realty transfer tax for properties that sell more than once in 24 months."
FULL STORY: How Philly Could Fight Gentrification With Rowhouse Fix-Ups
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.