Housing

California State Capital

Statewide Rent Control, Eviction Protections Adopted in California

It's been a historic year for rent control on the West Coast, as California joins Oregon as the first states to approve statewide rent control laws.

September 13, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

CEQA Droput

Kanye West's Unpermitted Vision for Housing Utopia Has Been Demolished

Kanye had 45 days to submit plans for the unpermitted buildings built on his property in Calabasas, California. Instead, the rapper tore the buildings down.

September 13, 2019 - TMZ

Dartmouth Dorms

The Role Student Housing Plays in Communities

Off-campus housing for college students has grown extensively over the last decade. What are communities doing to control the spread of student housing and its potentially negative effect on neighborhoods and affordable housing?

September 12, 2019 - Shelterforce Magazine

Oakland California Road

California Cities That Plan Housing Might Now Have to Build it

If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 as expected, downzonings, density reductions, housing construction moratoriums, and housing caps will become illegal.

September 11, 2019 - The Orange County Register

Three Parcels Donated for Affordable Housing Development by the City of Seattle

The city of Seattle took advantage of a new state law to donate three underused parcels to affordable housing developers.

September 10, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Jersey City

Jersey City Building More Apartment Than Manhattan

And other perhaps surprising data from the multi-family housing development industry.

September 10, 2019 - Jersey Digs

Homeless

When the Federal Government Ties Homeless Funding to Unemployment Rates

A strong economy can lead to a lack of affordable housing and a lack of affordable housing can lead to higher rates of homelessness. But a stronger economy can also disqualify regions from federal support for homelessness.

September 10, 2019 - KUOW

Downtown Reno

Renters More Likely to Be Cost-Burdened, Study Finds

A study by scholars at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University finds that renters around the country are more likely to pay a larger share of their income on housing than homeowners do.

September 10, 2019 - NPR

St. Louis, Missouri

University Redevelopment Plan Includes For-Sale Housing

St. Louis University is helping stabilize the neighborhood located near its medical campus—instead of expanding the campus into property it owns around the campus, it is building houses to sell.

September 9, 2019 - St. Louis Public Radio

Supreme Court

A Euclid Dissent

In Euclid v. Ambler Realty, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of zoning. Although three justices dissented, they did not write a formal dissent. This article is what a dissent might look like if the justices knew what we now know.

September 9, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Mount Hood

Portland Adjusts Residential Infill Plan to Minimize Displacement

Portland wants to add density but doesn't want to displace current residents of low- and middle-income neighborhoods.

September 8, 2019 - The Oregonian

NIMBY Sign

New Research Ties Lack of Density to Lack of Affordability in California

New research using the Terner Center California Residential Land Use Survey also connects demographic trends to housing development opposition.

September 6, 2019 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Durham City Park

New Density Planned as Affordable Housing, Growth Management Tool in Durham, North Carolina

The City Council of Durham, North Carolina has approved changes to the city's master plan, first approved in 2005, to allow new forms of density in residential neighborhoods proximate to the city's downtown urban core.

September 6, 2019 - News & Observer

Old Timey Ticky Tacky

Unlocking the Market for Affordable Homeownership with Private Capital

Charles Loveman, executive director of Heritage Housing Partners, explains the historical role that subsidized demand played in spurring housing production and the value of low to moderate-income affordable homeownership development.

September 5, 2019 - The Planning Report

Arizona Street

In Tucson, Sweltering Heat Threatens the Most Vulnerable

When the temperatures become dangerous in this desert city, not everyone has the option to retreat to air-conditioned spaces to wait it out.

September 4, 2019 - The Guardian

Old houses with large porch and colorful siding

The Dire Straits of the Working Homeless

Due to stagnant wages and the lack of affordable housing in many U.S. cities, even people with jobs are finding themselves slipping into homelessness.

September 4, 2019 - The New Republic

Arlington County, Virginia

As Amazon's Arrival Approaches, Northern Virginia Housing Market Heats Up

Houses are in high demand and prices have soared since Amazon announced a new headquarters would be located in Arlington County, Virginia. The buyers, however, are not new Amazon workers.

September 3, 2019 - The Washington Post

Los Angeles Downtown Historic Core

L.A. Times Editorial Supports Redevelopment 2.0

California's redevelopment program was killed during the budget fallout of the Great Recession. Now more state politicians see how tax increment devoted to development investments could be one tool int he state's affordable housing crisis.

August 31, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Detroit Vacant Properties

Effective Strategies for Tackling Vacant Properties

Urban homesteading as a response to hypervacancy is in the news after South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg proposed the Douglass Plan while on the presidential campaign trail.

August 31, 2019 - Urban Institute

Potted Plants

Tiny Homes and Big Opportunities in Detroit

A new tiny homes community offers vulnerable residents a chance to homeownership.

August 31, 2019 - The Detroit Free Press

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.