Housing

Legislation Would Loosen Zoning for TOD and ADUs, Require Housing Plans From Cities in Utah
State preemption, in the form major zoning reforms and mandates for local housing targets, are on the table in the Utah Legislature this year.

San Francisco-ization, a City's Biggest Nightmare
Cities spend a lot of time and energy pointing to examples of what they don’t want to become.

On Different Ways to See a Place
Looking forward to 2019, Chuck Wolfe reflects on how time living in London—and exposure to many other places during 2018— has highlighted how the physical shell of the old often frames today's sociocultural realities around the world.

California Prepares for a Prop. 13 Showdown
Expect property tax reform to be in the news in 2019.

Under Ben Carson, HUD Abdicates Fair Housing Responsibilities
Civil rights advocates are claiming that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is no longer in the business of enforcing fair housing laws.

Coach House: Legalize It?
Advocates in the city of Chicago are pushing to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which currently can only be rented if grandfathered in.

Critiquing the Notion of Neighborhood Character
Zócalo Public Square Editor Joe Mathews takes aim at the phrase, “We want to protect the character of the community," calling it a lousy argument in normal times and verging on "treasonous" due to climate change and California's housing crisis.

Rising Labor Costs and Higher Construction Costs for Homes
Labor costs vary greatly throughout the country, but wages are rising in the construction industry, especially in cities like San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.

Most Popular Planning Articles of 2018
We crunched the numbers on all the features, blog posts, and news articles we published in 2018 to figure out which made the biggest splash with readers.

British Columbia's Climate Plan Bans Sales of Gas and Diesel Passenger Vehicles by 2040
Ten years ago, British Columbia launched North America's first carbon tax. This month, Premier John Horgan unveiled the long awaited climate plan, CleanBC, that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 2007 levels by 2030.

Zoning Changes May Be Coming to Atlanta
The city is considering zoning updates, including legalization of accessory dwelling units and smaller apartment buildings, which would increase density and provide more housing.

Year in Review: The APA's Advocacy Work in Washington, D.C.
The APA noted that the 115th Congress was "marked by divisive rhetoric, partisan stalemates, and threats to programs on which local communities rely." At the end of the year, however, it could still celebrate substantial victories.

Lamenting the Decline of Caracas, Once the 'Jewel of Latin America'
"A generation ago, Venezuela’s capital was one of Latin America’s most thriving, glamorous cities; an oil-fuelled, tree-lined cauldron of culture that guidebooks hailed as a mecca for foodies, night owls and art fans."

Japan Offers Up Free Abandoned Houses
Due to an aging populace, lackluster construction quality, and other factors, Japan is facing a glut of abandoned homes. For those with the ability to live there, these homes can be had for next to nothing.

How D.C. Made Housing Vouchers Work
To provide affordable housing to meet the demand, DCHA has worked to make the housing voucher process easier for landlords.

Report: Homelessness on the Rise in the United States, Again
A new federal report finds a few reasons for optimism in a nationwide homeless count, but the numbers of homeless in the United States have grown for the second year in a row.

University of Washington Gets Approval for Major Expansion
With several stipulations, Seattle City Council has signed off on the university's plans for up to 6 million square feet of new construction, including high-rises.

Chicago's 606 Bike Path Made Gentrification Inevitable, Expert Claims
Because the rails to trails project left housing up to the market, rising rents were inevitable, claims a new report.

Rebuilding Paradise: Time to Consider Sewers
Paradise is the largest incorporated city west of the Mississippi River lacking a public sewer system. The town of of 27,000 relies on septic systems, now potentially damaged. Without sewers, multi-family housing construction becomes more difficult.

Zillow to Start Flipping Homes in California
Tech companies that use algorithms to make rapid offers on a large scale are growing players in the U.S. housing market.
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