Housing

Research: Gentrification Follows Falling Crime
It isn't exactly a surprising correlation: gentrification and decreases in crime. This research finds that falling crime often precedes gentrification, not the other way around.

A Community Planning Process—Even a Good One—Is Not Enough
Simply inviting residents to participate in design charrettes or a community planning process does not mitigate the significant loss they feel as they witness the physical destruction of their homes and lived history.

Missouri Tax Reform Package Targets Housing and Preservation Tax Credits
Republicans in Missouri want to reduce taxes for corporations, so they are reducing tax credits for affordable housing, infrastructure, and historic preservation.
Pasadena Urged to Purge Poison Pills from ADU Reform Ordinance
Pasadena is adopting accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reform in response to state legislation designed to spur affordable housing options by easing restrictions on ADUs. But is it really entrenchment dressed as reform?

Rents Dropping in Every Corner of the San Francisco Bay Area
Housing prices are still well above the national average in the Bay Area, but some relief at least, has emerged in recent months.
The Prospect of Lower Corporate Taxes Already Slowing Affordable Housing Investment
Across the country, affordable housing projects depend on tax credits to encourage investment; the possibility of a lower tax rate has already affected their funding.

Audit: Los Angeles' Density Bonus Program Falls Short of Expectations
Josie Huang reports on a new audit from the Los Angeles City Controller finding that the city's density bonus program is falling short of its goals for delivering affordable housing.

In Denver: Rents Drop as Record Numbers of Units Enter the Market
The number of apartments in Denver has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, the cost of rent is plummeting. Expect to hear this example cited by YIMBYs many times in the coming months.

Portland Coming to Grips with the Deaths of Four Homeless People
In the wake of a deadly cold spell, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city's government searches for ways to protect the city's homeless.

What Next for Cities, After 'Peak Millennial'?
The question of whether the largest generation in U.S. history will maintain its lover affair with urban living is either the elephant in the room of the million dollar question.

Republican Bills Would Gut HUD's 'Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing' Rule
Republican-sponsored congressional legislation would rescind a landmark achievement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama Administration.
Sunday's Deadly Tornadoes a Reminder of the Risks of Mobile Homes
The effects of tornadoes like those that touched down in South Georgia on Sunday are exacerbated in areas where many residents live in mobile homes.
Design Guidelines for the New York City Housing Authority
An article notes the signs of change at the New York City Housing Authority, which has adopted its first-ever design guidelines in a renewed effort to deliver safe and healthy homes to residents.

Families Feel Pushed Out of San Francisco
Many families cannot afford to live in San Francisco, where housing prices are high and houses fit for families raising children are hard to come by.

One of Trump's First Actions Comes From HUD
A reduction of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) annual mortgage insurance premium rates was scheduled to take effect on January 27. One of the Trump Administration's first actions was to suspend the reduction.

Myths and Realities About Cycles: Avoiding the Inevitability Trap
When we start to liken housing and neighborhood cycles to the kinds of predictable, unstoppable cycles found in nature, we may find ourselves in a dangerous trap.

U.S. Housing Stock Aging Fast
Age is only a number, they say. But that number is growing for the nation's housing stock, just like for the rest of us.

The External Costs of Vacant Homes
It might seem obvious that vacant homes attract crime and other noxious elements to surrounding properties, but researchers are still working to quantify those external costs.
New Leadership for New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Vicki Been is leaving her leadership role at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for a job at New York University.

Planning and the Alt Right in the Time of Trump
The rise of white nationalist politics has many implications for the ideas of a just city.
Pagination
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions