Housing

Single Family Residential Construction

Report: Housing Construction Not Meeting Middle Class Needs

The construction industry is building less "attainable housing" than demanded by the market.

June 5, 2019 - Forbes

New Jersey

A (Possible) Case of Suburban Retrofit

Retrofitting suburbia may be a challenge in a small town with high birth rates.

June 4, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Back Bay

How, and Where, Land Use Regulations Block Multi-Family Housing in the Boston Region

New analysis explores every city and suburb in the Boston region to reveal the tools of multi-family housing obstruction—sometimes it takes more than zoning to block apartments from getting built.

June 4, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Los Angeles in 1939, as determined by the  Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).

Housing Inequality the Leading Cause of Wealth Inequality

New research and mapping projects reveal how the deeply embedded racism of planning and housing policies of the past are connected to the growing wealth gap of the present.

June 4, 2019 - Data-Smart City Solutions

South San Jose houses

Property Transfer Taxes Gain Traction as Cities Search for Ways to Address Homelessness

San Jose, California is the latest city to consider raising its real property transfer tax to fund homeless programs.

June 3, 2019 - The Mercury News

HUD

Local Public Housing Agencies Resist HUD's Proposed Section 8 Rule

A proposed rule to disqualify all families living with an undocumented person from receiving federal housing aid is available for comment. We know a few people who oppose the rule.

June 3, 2019 - Governing

Apartment Construction

Seven Ideas for Tackling the Housing Crisis

One expert's take on the housing crisis and which policy solutions might best counter it.

June 2, 2019 - Vox

Manhattan Retail

Op-Ed: SoHo and NoHo Need a Zoning Overhaul

Two SoHo residents argue that outdated zoning holds the Manhattan neighborhoods back, requiring special permits or variances for many current residential and commercial uses.

June 2, 2019 - Crain's Business New York

Minneapolis Minnesota

YIMBYs Leading the Pro-Density Fight

Minneapolis has become an inspiration to other cities about how to successfully challenge NIMBY factions that oppose density and zoning reform.

June 1, 2019 - Grist

Washington D.C.

Report: D.C. Metro Area Still Needs More Housing

Despite a downtown construction boom, housing is still scarce across the Capital Region. And nearly two-thirds of new homes built since the year 2000 have been single-family structures.

June 1, 2019 - Brookings

Minneapolis, Minnesota

How the Middle Class Is Faring on Housing

While the middle class does not face the same kind of nationwide affordability crisis as low-income populations, geography and demographics are placing new stress on middle-income households.

May 31, 2019 - Brookings

Luxury Hotel

New Research Measures Airbnb's Massive Industry Footprint

The world hasn't been the same since Airbnb launched in 2008 and quickly grew in popularity.

May 30, 2019 - CityLab

Oakland Architecture in Music Video

Does Oakland Have a Future as a Public City?

The city is experiencing significant growth and development, but it has a complicated history of booms and lags and its civic future is uncertain.

May 30, 2019 - Places Journal

McMAnsion

Zoning Changes Would Mean More Granny Flats and Fewer McMansions in Seattle

Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?

May 30, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Building Trades

Research: Financial Practices Partly Responsible for the Rental Affordability Crisis

Zoning and the economy aren't the only factors in neighborhood change—financial regulations and policies, sometimes seemingly unrelated, also have an effect.

May 30, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Home Sold Sign

Case-Shiller: Home Prices Climbing a Little Slower Now

Home prices aren't dropping, which is good for current homeowners. But the hurdles of homeownership are still there for everyone else.

May 29, 2019 - Marketwatch

North Berkeley BART Station

Plans for TOD Housing at Berkeley BART Station

The city is behind plans to turn parking lots around the North Berkeley BART station into much-needed housing.

May 29, 2019 - Next City

New York City Rooftop

Creating Suburban Exclusivity in the City

City life is being sold as a convenient version of the suburbs, with similar amenities minus the time-consuming commute.

May 28, 2019 - The New York Times

Connecticut

How Wealthy Suburbs Block Outsiders From Economic Opportunity

Exclusionary zoning and land use tactics have a long history in the United States, retaining startling relevance in contemporary times. A deep investigation into Connecticut land use politics reveals just how entrenched these practices are.

May 28, 2019 - ProPublica

Old Skool

An Urban, Technologically Enabled Era of Retirement

A feature article in Marketwatch describes a future for retirement communities that look more like WeWork than the golf course-adjacent exurban communities of the 20th century.

May 28, 2019 - Marketwatch

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.