Housing

Washington D.C. Street

'Housing Supply and Affordability Act' Offers $1.5 Billion in Grants for Development-Friendly Zoning Reforms

The Housing Supply and Affordability Act would be a major victory for the YIMBY cause.

March 24, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Mass Shooting Protest

'Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste' and Planning in the Pandemic

The latest in a series of compendia collecting news and commentary focusing on the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on communities.

March 23, 2021 - James Brasuell

Exclusionary covenant

New Mexico Communities Reflect on Racial Restrictive Covenants

Explicitly racist and exclusionary language remains embedded in many communities' restrictive covenants. State legislators and local leaders want to change that.

March 23, 2021 - High Country News

Coronavirus and Homelessness

As the Pandemic Continues, Officials Look to Long-Term Housing Options with Hotels

Advocates point to a bevy of successes in slowing the spread of the virus, but authorities struggle with cost burden.

March 23, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Airbnb

Atlanta Passes New Short-Term Rental Rules

Under the new regulations, homeowners must register for a license and collect city hotel taxes for short-term rental properties.

March 23, 2021 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

View of New York City from Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Brooklyn Waterfront Development Unveils Revised Design

The massive River Ring Waterfront Master Plan includes two towers containing 1,050 residential units, a three-acre beach, and 5,000 square feet of community kiosks.

March 23, 2021 - Urbanize New York

Small Lot Townhouses

Opinion: Western Towns Need More Density, Not More Sprawl

To fix the housing crisis, cities should focus on "missing middle housing" and multi-family development.

March 22, 2021 - In These Times

Duplex

Tacoma Plan Would Eliminate Single-Family Zoning in Favor of 'Missing Middle' Housing

If implemented, Home in Tacoma would create new housing categories to encourage more multi-family buildings.

March 21, 2021 - MyNorthwest

Peninsula

Opinion: California Should Pass Aggressive Housing Reform

While some lawmakers oppose recent efforts to reform housing policies, others argue the state's affordability crisis calls for bold action.

March 19, 2021 - OC Register

Urban Living

Inclusionary Zoning Expanded in D.C.

The Washington, D.C. Planning Commission voted to expand the District's inclusionary zoning program, acting a year after the D.C. Office of Planning set out to expand the program.

March 19, 2021 - Urban Turf

Buckhead, Atlanta

Debating Atlanta's 'City Design Housing' Reform Movement

One of the most ambitious zoning reform efforts in the country is still in early stages, and the public has taken notice.

March 18, 2021 - Buckhead Reporter

COVID-19 Eviction Crisis

Fixing the Harms of the Eviction System

Emily Benfer talks about what needs to change in our housing and eviction systems—not just now, but once the pandemic is past, the connections between health and housing, and how she came to be a go-to voice on the eviction crisis.

March 17, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Connecticut Capitol Building

Next Up for Statewide Zoning Reform: Connecticut

A proposed package of reforms working through the Connecticut Legislature would loosen zoning codes in a state traditionally committed to single-family zoning.

March 17, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Leaving California

Exporting California's Housing Challenges? Correcting the Record on Out-Migration

Michael Storper and Patrick Condon opine on what California's population demographics really reveal about housing, density, economic development, jobs, and affordability.

March 16, 2021 - The Planning Report

Coronavirus

Two Judges Rule Against CDC's Eviction Moratorium

Two separate U.S. district court judges have rule that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not have the authority to issue an eviction moratorium.

March 16, 2021 - Spectrum News 1

Vancouver Skyline

Density, Affordability, and the 'Hungry Dogs' of Land Price Speculation

Patrick Condon argues that increasing density without affordability inflates urban land values, resulting in nearly all of the value of labor and creative enterprise of entrepreneurs in regional economies being absorbed as land wealth.

March 15, 2021 - The Planning Report

Rep. Marcia Fudge

Meet Marcia Fudge, Biden's Pick for HUD Secretary

The Ohio Congresswoman will face massive challenges as she steps into a leading role during one of the country's worst housing crises.

March 15, 2021 - USA Today

SEPTA Train Tracks

Transit Agencies Look to Land Development to Increase Revenue

With ridership revenue down, agencies seek to diversify their revenue stream by taking a more active role in developing agency-owned land.

March 14, 2021 - Fast Company

San Francisco Apartments

What Is Inclusionary Zoning?

Inclusionary zoning refers to a range of policies and practices that mandate or provide incentives for the inclusion of affordable housing units in new developments to encourage mixed-income neighborhoods and increase the supply of affordable housing.

March 12, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Portland's Inclusionary Zoning Effect Measured, Criticized

It's been over four years since the city of Portland implemented an inclusionary zoning policy that required all new apartment developments to set aside a portion of units for low- and moderate-income housing.

March 11, 2021 - City Observatory

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.