Housing

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

Phoenix Freeway Interchange

The Economic Defense of Sprawl (And What's Wrong With It)

Defenders of suburban expansion argue that government should build more roads in order to open up more land for housing. What's wrong with that argument?

April 14, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

San Francisco Apartments

S.F. Law Would Give Nonprofits Dibs on Apartment Buildings for Sale

The legislation would make nonprofit organizations more competitive in the real estate market by letting them get ahead of speculators.

April 13, 2019 - NextCity

Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Housing on the Agenda as Philadelphia Election Approaches

In the run-up to a municipal primary scheduled for May 21, Philadelphia's City Council has introduced a range of bills to address housing affordability and tenants' rights.

April 13, 2019 - Next City

Lisbon Tourism

Fostering Global Tourism Without Destroying Cities

More people than ever are traveling, but cities around the world are struggling to keep up. A new declaration aims to balance the benefits and challenges of tourism.

April 13, 2019 - Reuters

Vacant Properties

More Evidence that Decline and Concentrated Poverty Define the Urban Experience

Concern about gentrification in urban areas has dominated the urbanism discussion for more than a decade now, at the expense of a more informed understanding of urban dynamics and the potential for more effective action.

April 12, 2019 - University of Minnesota Law School

Housing Development

Affordable Single-Family Rental Housing Supply Needs a Boost

The supply gap is hitting lower-income families especially hard, a new study shows.

April 12, 2019 - Housing Perspectives

Old houses with large porch and colorful siding

Time to Delink Homeownership from Asset Building

Using homeownership as an asset-building mechanism and retirement plan might not be a great thing for our society.

April 11, 2019 - Shelterforce

Alamo Square

New Housing Construction Drops 41 Percent in San Francisco

Building permits aren't the same thing as new buildings, as San Francisco proved once again in 2018.

April 11, 2019 - Curbed San Francisco

Tassafaronga Village Oakland California

Interactive Mapping Tool Illustrates the Impact of California's Big Housing Bill

University of California, Berkeley researchers have mapped the impact of SB 50, a bill that would allow new density around train stations and bus stops in cities all over the state of California.

April 10, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Inclusionary Zoning Under Consideration for Pittsburgh Neighborhood

Legislation before the Pittsburgh Planning Commission this week would implement inclusionary zoning requirements for the neighborhood of Lawrenceville.

April 10, 2019 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Senator and Democratic Candidate for President

Kamala Harris Reintroduces 'Rent Relief Act'

The Rent Relief Act would provide a refundable tax credit for renters who pay more than 30% of their income on rent.

April 9, 2019 - Roll Call

Suburban Community

Slow-Growth Measure Headed to the Ballot in Colorado's Fifth-Largest City

Voters in Lakewood, Colorado, have a chance to enact anti-development policies that would place new limits on the number of new housing units that could be built in the city, while also placing new controls on the approvals process.

April 9, 2019 - The Denver Post

2020 Presidential Campaign

Elizabeth Warren Makes Housing a Cornerstone of Presidential Bid

Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has promised to make housing affordability the top priority of a potential administration.

April 8, 2019 - Reno Gazette Journal

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.