Shelterforce Magazine
Unmasking the Property Owners
There’s a reason land ownership is a matter of public record—but at the moment the records we have aren’t actually doing the job.
When Landlords Hide Behind LLCs
It’s difficult to know who owns property because corporate landlords and investors tend to structure their business as limited liability companies, or LLCs.
Could This Supreme Court Ruling Affect Fair Housing?
Experts on housing law discuss the potential repercussions of a recent Supreme Court decision that struck down the EPA’s authority in limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Could conservative judges apply the same rationale to limit HUD's authority?
Breaking NYC’s Housing Speculation Cycle
When wealthy investors treat homes like poker chips, it is the tenants who end up losing. How do we interrupt the vicious cycle of speculation and displacement?
This Manufactured Home Park Will Soon Be Boat Storage, But One Resident Stays To Fight
Angela Kaufman purchased what she thought would be her longtime home in a mobile home community. Less than a year after she moved, the park was sold and residents were told they had to go.
Sealing the Cracks in Weatherization and Home Repair
Deferred home maintenance can lead to serious structural, safety, and health issues. A new program in Pennsylvania aims to fill the gaps in home repair and weatherization programs.
Did L.A.’s Supportive Housing Bond Fail?
Six years after Prop HHH was passed, the fund appears to be delivering on its housing construction goals in the 10-year timeline. But the measure is being routinely criticized on all sides.
Help! Not Police! Crisis Responses That Avert Police Calls
Cities, court systems, citizen groups, and affordable housing operators are crafting ways of responding to emergencies that reduce the risk of negative police interactions.
Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan
President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.
Are Urban Planners Staying Silent on Climate Gentrification?
Holmdel, New Jersey, moved its affordable housing to flood-prone land, raising a question about planners' ethical obligations to speak up against such moves.
Vacant Homes Wither Under Flawed Tax System
Inefficiencies in Baltimore's tax sale system and predatory investment practices are keeping homes vacant for years. But advocates could soon finally see meaningful change.
Getting Medicaid to Pay for Pest Control
For children who have asthma, pests like cockroaches and mice can trigger allergic reactions and lead to recurring and expensive hospital visits. Could insurers save money by investing in housing-based improvements like pest management services?
Restorative Housing Policy: Can We Heal the Wounds of Redlining and Urban Renewal?
Our fair housing laws enshrine an approach that prohibits us from explicitly referring to race, even in programs intended to undo the harm caused by racism. Now restorative housing policy is attempting to directly confront this history.
The Sound of Music City: Orange, NJ
Music naturally brings people together. In Orange, New Jersey, organizers show how “creative placekeeping” finds its strength in the relationships that are formed within the community.
Leaky Roof? A USDA Home Repair Option
One USDA program has given out over $1 billion in rural home repair grants since its inception, and could be inspiration for similar programs in urban and suburban communities as well.
How Tax Assessments Are Racist
Between biased property appraisals that undervalue Black-owned properties and biased tax assessments that levy an unfair burden, homeowners of color are flanked by a double-whammy of racism.
Thousands of Affordable Homes Threatened as 30-Year LIHTC Restrictions Expire
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program has helped create more than 3 million affordable housing units across the country. But if something isn’t done soon, thousands of those homes could be lost forever as affordability periods expire.
Housing Providers Build Bridges Over the Digital Divide
Internet connectivity has become as important as basic utilities, but millions of people who live in affordable housing still lack access to devices and connections. Housing managers are finding innovative ways to fix that.
How Rent Control Helped Create East Palo Alto
The story of East Palo Alto’s incorporation is one marked by great contention among local stakeholders, but also provides valuable lessons for organizers in forging and mobilizing local coalitions.
How Hidden Property Owners and Bad Landlord Patterns Are Revealed in NYC
New housing tools in New York City demystify building ownership information and identify problematic landlord behavior. What would it take to replicate them?
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
