Housing

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Trump Administration Launches Long-Promised Challenge to Fair Housing Law

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development raises the burden of proof in cases of disparate impact, and provides additional defenses for defendants.

August 22, 2019 - CityLab

Vacant Lot

Housing Designs for New York Small Lots

A design competition focuses on the many tiny and often irregularly shaped vacant lots of New York City.

August 22, 2019 - Curbed New York

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Making the Case for ADUs and Housing Equity

For Montgomery County in Maryland, accessory dwelling units are a viable strategy to help ease the affordable housing crisis.

August 21, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Mexico City, Florida

Climate Change as a Housing Crisis 'Threat Multiplier'

Extreme weather is exacerbating the threats posing communities struggling with a lack of affordable housing.

August 20, 2019 - Next City

New York Development

New Paper: Exclusionary Zoning Is a National Problem in Need of Federal Action

A new paper published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University raises the stakes of the discussion about exclusionary zoning and its role in the ongoing housing affordability crisis in the United States.

August 20, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

New Space for Multi-Generational Living in High-Rises

Some of the buildings in a new condo building in Toronto will have two master bedrooms.

August 19, 2019 - Toronto Star

Emoji Neighborhood

A New Kind of Planning Controversy: the Emoji House

A complaint about an illegal Airbnb, a very visual response, and a headache for city officials in the city of Manhattan Beach, California.

August 18, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Queens, New York City

Rezoning for Larger Homes in a New York City Single-Family Neighborhood

A rezoning process for a neighborhood in Queens will allow homes to be built wider and deeper. Supporters say the space is needed for large families.

August 18, 2019 - The City

American Planning Association 2015

A Retiring Dean Considers the Changing Responsibilities of Planners

Former L.A. City Councilmember and retiring Cal Poly College of Environmental Design Dean Michael Woo reminds readers of the visionary responsibilities of elected officials to ensure the plans of today indeed consider the needs of tomorrow.

August 16, 2019 - The Planning Report

Syracuse, New York

Number of Vacant Properties Declining in Syracuse

Like many cities around the country, the city of Syracuse struggles with vacant and blighted residential properties. Lately, Syracuse can report positive progress on the challenge.

August 16, 2019 - Channel 9 News

Iowa State Flag

Presidential Politics Enters the Des Moines Rezoning Debate

Julián Castro, Democratic candidate for president and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, chose a side regarding the controversial rezoning proposal making its way through the Des Moines City Council.

August 15, 2019 - Des Moines Register

Oakland

Gentrification and Race in the San Francisco Bay Area

A feature article revisits the gentrification and displacement discussion, especially as it pertains to racial and economic demographics, in one of the nation's most troubled and challenging housing markets.

August 14, 2019 - The Mercury News

Geodesic Dome

Zappos Partnering on a Geodesic Dome Village in Las Vegas

Zappos, a shoe company, is working with Geoship, a geodesic dome company, to build a village of the domes in Las Vegas.

August 14, 2019 - FastCompany

Boston Seaport

Boston's Seaport District Still Lacking Diversity

The glitzy new neighborhood doesn’t cater to all Boston residents, according to a new survey.

August 13, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

Battle of the Bay: Oakland Ahead of San Francisco in Housing Construction

Call it a role reversal: Oakland is building far more apartments and housing units than San Francisco—a reversal of the history of development in the Bay Area.

August 13, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Jakarta Skyline

Jakarta's Suburb in the Sky

A rooftop housing development in the Indonesian capital takes the suburb to new heights.

August 13, 2019 - The Guardian

Housing Construction

Report: Impact Fees Add 18 Percent to the Cost of Housing in California

Development impact fees in California triple the national average. A bill in the State Legislature would reform the state's development fees, as one measure in an effort to build more housing in the state.

August 11, 2019 - The Mercury News

Celebrity

Kanye West Lacks Permits for the Prototype Housing Units He Built

Kanye West's first foray into the development business is off to an inauspicious start.

August 9, 2019 - TMZ

Homeless Encampment

Homeless in Louisville Moved, then Moved Again

Homeless people who had previously been moved from an I-65 overpass were forced to move again with one-day notice.

August 9, 2019 - The Courier-Journal

Apartments for rent signage

How to Reduce the Influence of Private Equity in Affordable Housing

The risk of onerous lot rent increases and the fear of eviction are more threatening than ever as private equity enters the manufactured housing market.

August 9, 2019 - Shelterforce Magazine

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.