Housing

Basement Apartment

Illinois Could Force Statewide Legislation of Accessory Dwelling Units

State legislation would preempt local governments that block the construction of accessory dwelling units, known locally as coach houses, to increase the supply of affordable housing options in the state.

March 5, 2020 - Crain's Chicago Business

Homeless Camp Portland

Intercity and Intracity Data on Homelessness Needed for Effective Policies, Study Says

A broader evidence base can more effectively evaluate policies for preventing and ending homelessness, according to a recent study published by Housing Policy Debate.

March 4, 2020 - Homeless Hub

The Windy City

No Slowdown of Out-Migration of Black Residents from Chicago

The city of Chicago continues to see a decline in population, including tens of thousands of African-Americans who have left in recent years.

March 4, 2020 - The New York Times

Curbing House Flippers in Brooklyn

A new cease-and-desist zone, meant to control the activities of house flippers, is under consideration in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, as well as state laws that would increase the real estate transfer tax.

March 3, 2020 - The City

Capitol Hill

The Federal YIMBY Act Makes Progress in the House

A federal bill intended to increase transparency in land use and zoning decisions as well as encourage localities to eliminate barriers to housing has advanced out of a House of Representative committee.

March 2, 2020 - Financial Services Republicans

California Sprawl

California's Piecemeal Progress on Housing Production

California Assemblymember Richard Bloom and Tara Barauskas dive into the barriers to affordable housing in California and whether recent legislation streamlining local planning, zoning, and permitting processes.

February 27, 2020 - The Planning Report

Texas Sprawl

San Antonio's Housing Equity Crisis Traced to Planning Roots

Lending and planning policies have split San Antonio residents into haves and haves for decades, according to a large feature published recently by the Rivard Report.

February 27, 2020 - Rivard Report

The Peninsula

New Housing Law Quickly Enacted in Bay Area

A four-month-old California housing law that applies only to 100% affordable housing near transit has dramatically changed a housing proposal in an affluent Peninsula city, though it is too soon to say if the additional two-stories will be approved.

February 26, 2020 - San Mateo Daily Journal

San Francisco

Who Are The YIMBYs?

"Golden Gates: The Fight for for Housing in America," a new book by New York Times reporter Conor Dougherty, chronicles the early days of the YIMBY movement in the Bay Area.

February 26, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

Seattle Neighborhood

The Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Era Concludes in Seattle

Before YIMBY was a household word and before Minneapolis ended single-family zoning, Seattle's Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) broke the planning status quo.

February 26, 2020 - Sightline Institute

Electric Train

TOD and Zero-Emission Trains: Can You Guess Where the Controversy Is?

The nation's first fuel cell electric train will make its debut in Southern California in about four years, but it's also associated with a controversial ballot measure on the station sites that voters of Redlands will decide on Super Tuesday.

February 24, 2020 - KVCR

Silicon Valley, facing Downtown San Jose

Zuckerberg and Company Set Goals on Housing Policy and Affordable Housing

With over $500 million in resources, the Partnership for the Bay’s Future is funding policy and affordable housing projects throughout the region.

February 23, 2020 - The Mercury News

Welcome

Neighborhood Preference Splits on Partisan Lines

Preferences in the characteristics of communities—from the shape of the built environment to demographics—reveal stark partisan preferences. Planners are faced with the task of navigating ideological divides.

February 20, 2020 - Pew Research Center

Los Angeles Residential

The Complex Story Behind the Failure of California's Upzoning Bill

SB 50 was often viewed as an attack on wealthy, single-family homeowners, but housing justice advocates also had issues with the legislation.

February 19, 2020 - Curbed

HUD

Opinion Writers Oppose Trump's Proposed Changes to Fair Housing Laws

A former housing and urban development secretary and a professor of sociology oppose the Trump administration's proposed changes to the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule.

February 18, 2020 - The New York Times

Presidential Campaign

Bloomberg Comments Put Redlining, Recession Back in the Spotlight

Some of the opinions of Michael Bloomberg, billionaire candidate for president, haven't aged well since his time as the mayor of New York City.

February 18, 2020 - CityLab

New York Harbor

Recent Studies Dig Into the Affordability Effects of Housing Developments

Several recent studies add fuel to the fire of whether market-rate housing helps affordability or drives low-income people from their neighborhoods.

February 18, 2020 - The New York Times

Goose Island Chicago

Residential Development Proposed for Chicago’s Goose Island

A plan for the riverfront property would bring thousands of housing units to the historically industrial area.

February 17, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

U.S. Cities Where Homeowners Stay Put the Longest

A study identifies cities where people stay in their homes longer, and they tend to be at either end of the income and home values spectrum.

February 14, 2020 - The New York Times

Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb Hits a Snag

For a long time Airbnb shined in the profit-making department, when compared to other tech companies valued over a billion dollars. Now the once-profitable short-term rental platform is losing money, quickly.

February 13, 2020 - Recode

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.

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.