Housing

Moms 4 Housing

A Dark Night for the Right to Housing Movement

After a string of high-profile successes in places as geographically distant as Philadelphia and the East Bay Area, an ugly episode in L.A. County the day before Thanksgiving dealt a brutal setback to the burgeoning right to housing movement.

December 1, 2020 - LAist

Free Street

On Rent Control and a Green New Deal, Portland, Maine Voters Go Where Others Don't Dare

Rent control was dealt another high-profile setback in California, and the Green New Deal is a hot button issue stuck in limbo in Congress. Both efforts got the go-ahead from voters in Portland, Maine in November.

December 1, 2020 - Next City

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Accessory Dwelling Units Gain Legislative Momentum in Denver

Accessory dwelling units, also known as granny flats or mother-in-law units, gained a critical foothold in Denver earlier this month, and the Denver City Council is already maneuvering for more.

November 30, 2020 - The Denver Post

Puget Sound

Cascadia Expects Millions of New Residents. Should it Build New Cities or New Density?

A recent report calls for the region stretching from Oregon to British Columbia to think big about accommodating expected population growth. The report's recommendation to build four new, large cities isn't universally accepted, however.

November 30, 2020 - KUOW

Book in the Park

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2020

The public health crisis of the coronavirus pandemic upended all the normal day-today routines this year. At least there are plenty of great urban planning books to read.

November 30, 2020 - Josh Stephens

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Vancouver Again Raises its Empty Homes Tax

The Vancouver Empty Homes Tax will soon be three times as high as it was when adopted in 2017.

November 29, 2020 - CTV News Vancouver

U.S.-Mexico Border

Flooded: How Natural Disasters Lead to Predatory Lending in the Rio Grande Valley

The devastation that communities in the Rio Grande Valley face is twofold: the initial destruction of the floods and the cycle of debt and poverty as a result of predatory loans.

November 27, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

California

Anaheim Tries a New Approach for 1,000 New Units of Workforce Housing

Many cities in California are too expensive for the firefighters, teachers, and nurses that provide essential professional services. Anaheim is hoping to leverage a new statewide program to put a significant dent in that housing challenge.

November 25, 2020 - Fox 11 Los Angeles

Coronavirus

'Seriously Delinquent' Mortgages Explode, But Don't Expect a Great Recession-Style Meltdown

More and more homeowners are falling behind on mortgage payments as the pandemic lingers, according to recent market data.

November 25, 2020 - The Orange County Register

Cleveland Aerial

Cleveland Has Yet to Recover From the Last Recession

Decades of racist policy and a lack of critical resources have left Cleveland in a perpetual state of economic fragility. The city can't afford another recession.

November 25, 2020 - City Monitor

Wisconsin

The Unfounded Fears of Affordable Housing Opposition

Neither evidence nor experience support the fearful visions expressed by opponents to affordable housing development, according to a recent feature article for the New York Times.

November 19, 2020 - The New York Times

Vacant Properties

The Legacy of Structural Poverty in Alabama

In rural Alabama, a long history of racial inequality and poverty has left people struggling to survive in uninhabitable housing.

November 18, 2020 - The New York Times

City by the Bay

State Audit Faults California's Affordable Housing Development Processes

The California State Auditor's office is proposing an overhaul of the state's approach to affordable housing development, citing the cost burdens of the housing market as proof of the necessity for change.

November 18, 2020 - Auditor of the State of California

Potted Plants

Tiny Homes Village Planned in St. Louis

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson hopes to use CARES Act funding to 50 new homes for homeless living in the city.

November 18, 2020 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Multi-Tenant Housing

Searching for a Path to Legalized Rooming Houses

Toronto could legalize rooming houses, also known as multi-tenant or lodging houses, in an effort to bring the city's many unpermitted examples of this low-income affordable housing type up to humane standards of health and safety.

November 18, 2020 - Yahoo News via Toronto Star

Moms 4 Housing

Moms 4 Housing Founders Elected to Office in the East Bay

Two leaders of Moms 4 Housing, which has grown to a national housing movement, have been elected to office in Oakland and Berkeley.

November 17, 2020 - Vice

Coronavirus

National Rent Debt Projected to Reach $7.2 Billion by the End of 2020

The weight of the pandemic is hanging around millions of renters' necks.

November 16, 2020 - Orange County Register

Massachusetts State Capitol

Massachusetts Showed States How to Create an Eviction Ban. Now It’s Backpedaling

The Massachusetts eviction moratorium—one of the strongest in the nation—expired, just in time for winter. How did this happen?

November 16, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Housing protest

Lessons From Rent Control's Latest Election Rejection

California voters, with a reputation for liberal politics, have repeatedly refused to approve statewide rent control laws at the ballot box.

November 12, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Glenwood Green Acres, Philadelphia

One Key, Underappreciated Affordable Housing Strategy: Repairing Existing Homes

The city of Philadelphia offers a case study for the challenges and potential benefits of home repair programs.

November 12, 2020 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

Top Books

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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.