Housing

YIMBYs

Planning's New Rivalry: Housing Advocates vs. Radical Left

As the YIMBY movement has gained momentum in high-cost cities, advocates for social justice and subsidized housing have taken aim, claiming that YIMBY's pro-development stance aligns them with predatory capitalism and neoliberalism.

July 3, 2017 - California Planning & Development Report

Suburbia

On California's Broken Housing Requirement System

Liam Dillon has written the exact article for anyone who has every rolled their eyes at the words "housing element" or Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

July 3, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Protest Crowd

L.A. Metro CEO Challenges Trump on Infrastructure Funding

President Trump’s most recent transportation budget is projected to cut transportation spending by 13 percent, potentially undercutting many of Los Angeles' ambitious projects to continue the build-out of a full public transportation system.

July 3, 2017 - The Planning Report

Single Family Residential Construction

Austin's Affordable Housing Stock Shrunk More Than Any Other U.S. Metro

For all the talk of Texas' relatively affordable housing prices, the city of Austin is one of the worst examples of one of the dominant trends in the U.S. real estate market—fewer and fewer options for affordable rental housing.

July 2, 2017 - The Urban Edge

texas

A Closer Look at the Appeal of the Fastest-Growing City in the U.S.

The "small-town feel" of Conroe, Texas is touted as one of the reason for its quick population growth.

July 1, 2017 - The Urban Edge

Seattle

Seattle Tackling Equity Challenges With Global Lens

Seattle is faced with an affordable housing crisis that has led the new Planning & Community Development Director Sam Assefa to look globally for solutions.

June 30, 2017 - The Planning Report

Capitol Hill

Do Members of Congress Need a Housing Stipend?

The cost of living in Washington, D.C. might make it difficult for less wealthy members of Congress to pay rent or mortgages in their home state and the seat of power. Thus, a surprising voice has suggested housing assistance for Congress.

June 29, 2017 - The Hill

Ballard neighborhood, Seattle

Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink

King County, Washington was once home to a large number of black homeowners, today the county lags far behind the rest of the country.

June 28, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Yuppies Out

Who's Mapping Gentrification, and Where?

In these cities, data on gentrification has been compiled to build mapping tools documenting the process. The hope is to identify neighborhoods where low-income residents are at risk of displacement.

June 27, 2017 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Suburbia

McMansion Hell Blog in Legal Hot Water with Real Estate Site Zillow

[Updated June 29, 2017] It's been a mixed bag for viral sensation McMansion Hell. The same day as a feature video by The Washington Post, the news broke that the website is facing potential legal charges from real estate site Zillow.

June 27, 2017 - The Verge

No Luxury Condos

The State of Affordable Housing

An in-depth feature in Architect magazine surveys the affordable housing landscape and finds architects, planners, and developers trying to find a better way through an inefficient system.

June 26, 2017 - Architect

Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials

The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.

June 25, 2017 - California Legislative Analyst's Office

Fire Escape

Evidence of Softening Rental Markets

According to Joe Cortright, a slowing pace of rent inflation in most large cities in the United States, combined with decreasing rents in many cities, shows how adding supply can help balance the market.

June 25, 2017 - City Observatory

San Diego Construction

San Diego, Marin County Heading the Opposite Direction on Housing Policy

The mayor of San Diego has acknowledged the ongoing crisis of housing affordability by pushing to make it easier to build housing at higher densities and with less parking. Marin County…not so much.

June 23, 2017 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Homeless Bike

New Projects to House Homeless in San Jose

The Bay Area is home to a large homeless population, and San Jose is doing more to create resources for the homeless than other cities in the area.

June 22, 2017 - The Mercury News

Shipping Container Housing

Google to Buy 300 Modular Apartments for Employees

Mountain View is an expensive place to find housing, in part because of Google itself. The tech giant plans to do something about the housing crunch, for its employees at least.

June 20, 2017 - The Wall Street Journal

Buffalo, New York

Inclusionary Zoning Proposed for Buffalo—Will it Help or Hurt the Housing Market?

Buffalo is considering policies to support affordable rental housing as demand rises. While inclusionary zoning is controversial everywhere, specific questions about the policy's effectiveness arise in cities with little to no population growth.

June 20, 2017 - The Buffalo News

Garbage

Accused of 'Ambush-Style Eviction,' Detroit Land Bank Faces Lawsuit

A lawsuit, allowed to proceed by a Wayne County judge, reveals some of the difficulties of blight removal.

June 20, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

For Rent

Opponents of Rent Control Claim Victory in Special Election in Bay Area

Voters in Santa Rosa, California rejected a measure that would have retained the rent and eviction control ordinance that the city council had approved lasted August. The referendum was placed on the ballot by the California Apartment Association.

June 18, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

New York Apartments

The Affordable Rental Housing Crisis Is Only Getting Worse

The headline from the latest report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies on the state of the nation's housing market focuses on a shrinking, broken rental market.

June 18, 2017 - Affordable Housing Finance

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.