Housing

Baltimore

The Fair Housing Act at 50

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Penn IUR Faculty Fellows Vincent Reina and Susan Wachter bring experts together to debate the important topic.

April 24, 2019 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Fruit Belt, Buffalo

Google Maps' Digital Erasure Highlights Issues of Community Identity in Buffalo, NY

In the face of displacement and gentrification, residents of the Fruit Belt neighborhood of Buffalo, NY point to tech-giant Google's map service as one among many possible causes.

April 23, 2019 - OneZero via Medium

New York Apartments

'Systemic' Fraud Threatens New York's Rent-Stabilized Housing

Even as the city pursues new affordable housing, lax enforcement of rental regulations is leading to rising costs and evictions.

April 22, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

Cleveland Heights

Tax Abatements for Residential Projects Under the Microscope

The Cleveland City Council is considering legislation that would launch a process of re-examining the city's tax abatement program.

April 22, 2019 - ideastream

Tiny House

The Effects of Tiny Home Downsizing

People living in tiny homes drastically reduce their ecological footprints and make more sustainable lifestyle choices, research shows.

April 22, 2019 - CityLab

Daly City

The History of Alternative Suburbs

A new book about unconventional suburbs challenges the perception that these were socially and racially homogenous places.

April 22, 2019 - CityLab

Seattle Brick Loft

Apartment Units Fill Fastest in Seattle

Demand for housing in and around Seattle is way up—so much so that the region led the entire country in the number of apartments it has filled so far this year.

April 21, 2019 - The Seattle Times

HUD

Motivations of Proposed Federal Housing Rules Questioned

Reports of a new federal program designed to cut the waiting list for public housing was greeted incredulously from housing advocates this week.

April 21, 2019 - CityLab

Uptown San Diego

Middle-Income Density Bonus Working Toward Approval in San Diego

The San Diego City Council's Land Use and Housing Commission approved a density bonus program to provide incentives for developers to build middle- and low-income housing.

April 21, 2019 - The San Diego Union Tribune

Stone Arch Bridge

Minneapolis Affordable Housing Practices Heading in a New Direction

Minneapolis is realigning its affordable housing practices as the nationwide as the pressures of the housing affordability crisis increase.

April 21, 2019 - MinnPost

Inglewood NFL Stadium

Residents Left Behind as L.A. Stadium Project Surges Ahead

Inglewood had fallen on hard times, but then plans for a massive sports and entertainment complex came along. While the city’s future is poised to change dramatically, the development is also displacing residents.

April 20, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Down Payment

Housing Starts Hit Two-Year Low

Housing starts and permits are slowing nationwide. The current pace of construction would have been considered a trough in pre-recession economic cycles.

April 20, 2019 - Marketwatch

San Francisco

Maps: Where Teachers Can Afford Housing in California

Teachers can't afford to live in the neighborhoods where they teach in California—the biggest gap between teachers' wages and the cost of housing is found in the Bay Area.

April 19, 2019 - EdSource

Los Angeles Chinatown

Los Angeles May Bar Source-of-Income Housing Discrimination

Officials hope that improving access to housing for people who use voucher programs will help prevent homelessness in the city.

April 18, 2019 - LAist

Texas State Capitol building

Texas State Legislators Aim to Reduce Their Own Housing Sway

Current Texas law grants state representatives significant power over whether affordable developments receive federal tax credits. Controversially, several representatives have proposed the reduction of their own authority in that regard.

April 18, 2019 - Next City

Columbus Ohio

New Spending, Planning Approved to Address Affordable Housing Crisis in Columbus

Columbus approved an emergency allotment of capital improvement bond funding for housing, and the launch of an affordable housing strategy process.

April 18, 2019 - WCBE

Gentrification Protest

An Alphabetical Compendium of the Gentrification Blame Game

When it comes to identifying and repairing the underlying causes of gentrification, there's plenty of blame to go around.

April 17, 2019 - City Observatory

Apartment for Rent

The Results of Short-Term Rentals: Fewer Long-Term Rentals, Fewer Homes for Sale, Higher Rents

Research published last year, and explained recently in the Harvard Business Review, measures the effect of Airbnb in the housing market, and goes a step further to explain the economics of that effect.

April 17, 2019 - Harvard Business Review

Union Station

In L.A., With a Reputation Sprawl, Homes Near Transit Selling at a Premium

Homebuyers are looking for locations with quality transit access in Los Angeles, and they're willing to pay more for the option having transit nearby.

April 16, 2019 - Bloomberg

Brooklyn

Advocates Push to Study Racial Impacts of NYC Rezoning

Neighborhood rezonings that disproportionately displace minority residents could violate the Fair Housing Act, advocates say.

April 15, 2019 - Brooklyn Eagle

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.