Housing
Helpline calls for housing assistance reached record high in 2025
The United Way's 211 helpline received 6 million calls for referrals for housing support, almost twice as many as calls for utility assistance.
School-to-housing Conversions are the Fastest-growing Sector of Adaptive Reuse
In 2024, former schools were redeveloped into almost 2,000 apartments.
Asheville Could Eliminate Parking Minimums
The city is working on a multiyear overhaul of its Unified Development Ordinance.
March Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Seattle may roll back a development fee as housing permits plummet, an ambitious Google-led project in the heart of San Jose goes sideways, and a list of sci-fi books to feed your futurist dreams.
Santa Monica Modular Project Offers Hope for Affordable Housing in Pricy California Cities
The Berkeley Station development used modular construction to build the project on a nine-month timeline.
Downtown Salt Lake City Skyscraper Cleans the air Around it
The newly built Astra Tower filters air for its own residents and for the city.
Charleston Creates ‘Workforce Housing District’ With Permanent Affordability
The city has a goal of adding 3,500 new housing units by 2032.
California Gives 15 Cities ‘Final Warning’ to Submit Mandatory Housing Plans
Communities are required to produce housing elements that accommodate sufficient housing for all income levels.
Oakland Drafts First Revision of General Plan Since 1998
The public has until April 23 to comment on the sweeping plan that addresses land use, transportation, and infrastructure.
Florida Law Aimed at Increasing Housing Includes Exemption for ‘Large Destination Resorts’
A new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis puts limits on local control of zoning for housing, but could also allow major resorts to bypass zoning regulations and review processes.
Facing Plummeting Permit Applications, Seattle Weighs Rolling Back Mandatory Affordability Fee
While many factors affect the drop in housing permits, developers say a change to the fee could make a significant impact in moving projects along.
You Can Live Inside America’s Oldest Indoor Shopping Mall
The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island, first built in 1828, was redeveloped into 48 micro-housing units.
Bay Area 2050+ Plan Prepares Region for Nearly 5 Feet of Sea Level Rise
The regional plan includes its first ever resilience project list, prioritizing infrastructure projects that can protect the area from sea level rise.
Colorado Law Lets Schools, Other Public Agencies Build Housing Regardless of Local Zoning
The law is modeled on a similar failed measure from last year that included fewer eligible organizations.
LA Delays State TOD Law to 2030 With its Own, Lower-density Plan
SB 79 allows cities to delay its implementation if they come up with alternate plans to boost density while retaining local control near transit.
Co-living ‘Microapartments’ Cost Half as Much to Build as Typical Studios
In 10 major U.S. metros, an analysis found that converting office buildings to small co-living units could dramatically cut the costs of construction.
Oklahoma has Over 200,000 Vacant Homes. None are Affordable to Low-income Families.
The state faces a shortage of over 80,000 rental units for extremely low-income households while hundreds of thousands of vacant units face financial or legal barriers to restoration.
NYC’s ‘ADU for You’ Initiative Offers Pre-approved Plans and Financing Tools
The project pairs pre-approved plans with financing and other tools to help more homeowners build accessory units.
New Washington State Law Lets Cities Give Social Housing Developers City-owned Land
In its current form, HB 1687, which authorizes local governments to assist social housing agencies with land or other resources, only applies to Seattle.
San Diego School District Plans to Build 3,000 Homes for Employees
The district wants to offer affordable housing to 10 percent of its staff by 2030.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
