Housing

Tenant Protections

NLIHC Report: Wages Don’t Cover the Cost of Housing in Every Corner of the Country

The “Out of Reach 2022” report, published recently by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, paints a dire picture of a lack of housing affordability in the United States.

August 23, 2022 - SaportaReport

RTD train pulling into a station in Denver, Colorado

Commerce City Approves Transit-Oriented Development

An isolated train station north of Denver could become a hub of housing and commercial activity.

August 23, 2022 - The Denver Post

Single-family house with two-car garage under construction

Opinion: To Boost Economic Development, Build Housing

Rather than providing incentives to lure employers to their cities, local leaders should focus on supporting enough affordable workforce housing to accommodate new and existing residents.

August 23, 2022 - The Philadelphia Citizen

Manhattan, New York City, New York

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?

August 23, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

For Rent

Explaining Rent Inflation

The delayed effects of changes in rent costs make rent inflation a difficult figure to pin down.

August 19, 2022 - The Atlantic

An image of the Sample Gates at the entrance of the college campus of Indiana University Bloomington, with a street and the city in the background.

Cost of Living Rising Sharply for College Students

High inflation, rising tuition costs, and a competitive housing market are making it hard for college students to make ends meet.

August 18, 2022 - Bloomberg Wealth

South San Jose houses

The Housing Crisis: No Longer Just a Coastal Concern

The pandemic accelerated existing trends and created unsustainable housing demand in a wider range of towns and cities, exacerbated by outdated zoning restrictions.

August 17, 2022 - The Atlantic

Row of manufactured homes on an asphalt street

Protecting America’s Manufactured Housing

Governments at all levels are finally waking up to the benefits of protecting and encouraging the production of factory-built homes, which offer an affordable, efficient form of housing that many Americans depend on.

August 17, 2022 - Governing

Yellow house on residential street in Atherton, California

Another Silicon Valley Enclave Resists Multifamily Housing

Ultrawealthy residents have blocked a proposal to build townhouse developments in one of California’s most affluent communities.

August 16, 2022 - The New York Times

View of Saratoga Lake from shore

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.

August 16, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio with Tower Life Building in foreground

San Antonio Office Tower To Become Residential

With the building more than half vacant, the new owners of the Tower Life Building plan to convert the historic tower into residences that could include affordable housing.

August 15, 2022 - San Antonio Report

Close-up of two people pointing at a printed city map with pencils with a laptop in the background

Digital Tool ‘Gamifies’ Planning Decisions

Interactive platforms help stakeholders visualize and understand the challenges faced by planners in distributing new housing construction, building infrastructure, and other projects.

August 14, 2022 - Bloomberg

Washington D.C. Row Houses

Three-Quarters of D.C. Housing Vouchers Go Unused

Hindered by bureaucratic delays and a tight housing market, voucher recipients in the District have a hard time finding available units.

August 14, 2022 - The Washington Post

Worker caulking cracks in a home window

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.

August 12, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial view of Salida, Colorado with mountains in background

Colorado Workers Squeezed by Housing Crisis

In Colorado’s booming resort towns, even sleeping in your car has become an unaffordable luxury.

August 11, 2022 - Denver Post

Rendering of tiny houses in garden setting

Where Is Salt Lake City’s Tiny Home Village?

A proposed ‘tiny home village’ meant to serve as temporary housing for unhoused residents has yet to break ground more than a year after it was announced.

August 10, 2022 - KUTV

A road sign reads "Welcome to City of Wheat Ridge Buckle Up and Drive Safely"

Denver Suburb Points Spotlight at Racial Covenants

A symbolic, but necessary, action.

August 10, 2022 - Thee Dever Post

Two people holding sign that says "house keys not handcuffs" during an anti-homelessness event in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles Tightens Restrictions on Encampments

During a city council meeting that had to pause while police cleared the room of activists opposing the measure, the council voted to ban public sleeping within 500 feet of schools, making one-fifth of city sidewalks off-limits to unhoused people.

August 9, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Sunset view of downtown Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville Set To Approve Contentious Zoning Reforms

The city commission voted in favor of a controversial zoning reform package that critics from multiple sides say won’t create more affordable housing for those who need it most.

August 9, 2022 - WUFT

For rent sign with blurry house in background

How ‘Rental Deserts’ Perpetuate Inequity

Close to one-third of American neighborhoods have very few housing options for renter households, who tend to be disproportionately people of color and low-income families.

August 8, 2022 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.