Housing

Empty Road

Americans Are Moving, but Staying Close to Home

Despite fears of a mass exodus, most cities are seeing only modest population losses, with the majority of movers staying in the same metro area.

May 6, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

COVID-19 Eviction Crisis

Federal Judge Tosses CDC's Eviction Moratorium

"The CDC order must be set aside," said U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in a ruling announced Wednesday, May 5.

May 6, 2021 - Bloomberg

Atlanta BeltLine

The Atlanta BeltLine Wants to Prevent Displacement of Longtime Residents. Is it Too Late?

A program to pay property-tax increases of nearby homeowners is welcome, but "about ten years too late," one advocate says.

May 5, 2021 - Next City

Eli Broad

Los Angeles' Merchant of Sprawl

Los Angeles is mourning the death of billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad. For all of Broad's many civic contributions, he made his fortune in a decidedly anti-urban way.

May 4, 2021 - California Planning & Development Report

Minneapolis Park

First Steps Toward Rent Control in Minneapolis

The state of Minnesota requires local rent control law to be approved by general election, so the city of Minneapolis is forced to take several preemptory steps to get a rent stabilization ordinance on the ballot.

May 4, 2021 - MinnPost

Construction Industry

Lumber Prices Spike; Housing Prices Follow

The cost of lumber has more than doubled in the past year, according to industry sources, adding more than $24,000 to the cost of a new home.

May 4, 2021 - The Atlantic

The Pioneer

Iowa Makes it Easier for Landlords to Reject Housing Vouchers

The state of Iowa's Republican leadership preempted local laws that prevent landlords from rejecting housing vouchers as rent payment.

May 4, 2021 - The Hill

Gentrification

What Is Displacement?

Displacement—the forced relocation of existing residents and businesses was once a desired outcome of the "urban renewal" projects of the 20th century. In the 21st century, displacement is a highly contested, hard to trace, effect commonly linked to gentrification and urban revitalization.

May 3, 2021 - James Brasuell

Indian Trail, North Carolina

Record Number of Single-Family Rentals Reflect the Expensive U.S. Housing Market

Home builders are building a record number of single-family rentals, and young, modest-income households with children are more likely to live in those new homes.

May 2, 2021 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Cincinnati, Ohio

Affordable Housing Needs Assessed Ahead of Cincinnati's May Election

Cincinnati voters will consider Issue 3 at the ballot box on May 4, potentially guaranteeing $50 million in annual funding for the city's Housing Trust Fund.

April 30, 2021 - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Atlanta Civic Center

Atlanta Launching Affordable Housing Development Program for City-Owned Land

The Atlanta Department of City Planning has identified 877 acres of land on 490 parcels for potential affordable housing development.

April 30, 2021 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Homeless Encampment

Texas Legislature Would Preempt Local Law to Ban Homeless Encampments

The state of Texas and the city of Austin are moving in opposite directions on how best to respond to the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

April 29, 2021 - The Texas Tribune

Vancouver

Vancouver Considers Easing Rezoning for Social Housing

The proposal would let non-profits build housing developments of up to six stories without a public rezoning process in mid-rise neighborhoods.

April 29, 2021 - The Province

Rent

Rents Rebounding Around the U.S., Report Says

Apartment List's May National Rent Report indicates that the brief reprieve in rising rental prices caused the economic disruption of the pandemic might already be a thing of the past.

April 29, 2021 - Apartment List

Downtown Detroit

How Easy Is it to Repurpose Offices into Apartments?

Adaptive reuse is a hot concept, but regulatory and financial hurdles have made it slow to catch on in practice.

April 28, 2021 - Slate

Shipping Container Housing

Building Modular Housing Factories Near Areas With High Housing Costs

To improve housing costs and economic conditions at once, look to the locations of modular housing factories.

April 28, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Vacant Lot

Unpermitted RV Park Faces Code Enforcement Pressure in Oakland

A controversy over the unpermitted use of RVs for shelter on an otherwise empty lot in West Oakland reveals a confluence of Bay Area housing crises.

April 28, 2021 - The Mercury News

California Homeless

Judge Presses Pause on Controversial Skid Row Housing Order

A 60-day grace period and some additional contingencies have been added to a court order for the city and county of Los Angeles to provide shelter or housing to the thousands of people experiencing homelessness on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles.

April 28, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Aspen

Can Cities Be Saved From 'Supergentrification'?

For other cities struggling with sky-high real estate prices, Colorado’s resort town offers some instructive lessons on what’s working — and what isn’t.

April 28, 2021 - Next City

Aerial view of Atlanta BeltLine greenway with multistory buildings one ither side

Suburban Renters Flocked to Atlanta During the Pandemic

The city's comparatively affordable rents and low unemployment rate have attracted new residents during a year when many big cities saw their population growth slow.

April 28, 2021 - Urbanize Atlanta

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

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.