Housing

Close-up of Department of Veterans Affairs sign in Washington, D.C. with American and MIA flags on flagpole in background.

Disabled Veterans Gain Access to Supportive Housing Assistance

Disability benefits will no longer exclude veterans from supportive housing programs.

August 13, 2024 - Stars and Stripes

Aerial view of Grants Pass, Oregon on cloudy day.

Grants Pass Bans Outdoor Sleeping, Creates Designated Camping Areas

The Oregon city was at the heart of a controversial Supreme Court case that paves the way for the criminalization of homelessness.

August 12, 2024 - AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Overhead view of houses being 3d printed in concrete from the ground up.

3D-Printed Community in Texas Nearly Complete

Upon completion, the 100-home Wolf Ranch Community north of Austin will be the largest 3D printed neighborhood in the world.

August 12, 2024 - Parametric Architecture

Vintage multi-story brick apartment building and modern concrete and glass apartment building separated by a steep public stairway in Los Angeles, California.

Good As New: The Vital Role of Preservation in Solving the Housing Crisis

Preserving historic buildings and existing affordable housing stock has the potential to ease America’s dire affordable housing crisis and promote equity, inclusion, and justice.

August 11, 2024 - Bonnie McDonald

Aerial view of small town in Hudson Valley, New York State with river at sunset.

They Had No Heat for Months. A New Law Let Them Sue.

In New York state, tenants can now take landlords to court directly to force repairs and get damages, without withholding rent first. Here’s how one of the first tests of the new law worked.

August 11, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Tent occupied by unhoused resident with bike against fence under underpass in Miami, Florida.

Grants Pass Homelessness Ruling Brings Issues Into Sharp Focus

Advocates for unhoused people are rallying to protect homeless populations as new legislation criminalizing homelessness rolls out around the country.

August 9, 2024 - Next City

Street Median

Panhandling Bans Draw Free Speech Criticism

Civil liberties advocates say prohibitions supposedly based on safety unfairly target unhoused people.

August 9, 2024 - Stateline

Beachside homes in Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Affordable Homes Act Targets ADUs, ‘Seasonal Communities’ in Massachusetts

State legislators say the new law could support 65,000 new housing units.

August 9, 2024 - Hoodline

Close-up of silver sign indicating 'no smoking' with cigarette inside circle with line. Sign is sitting on patio table outdoors.

SoCal City Bans Smoking on Multifamily Properties

The law prohibits smoking tobacco or cannabis in both indoor and outdoor spaces, prompting backlash from residents.

August 8, 2024 - CNN Newsource

Asphalt road on coast with collapsed segments from erosion.

We Must Relocate to Prepare for Climate Change, and We Must Do it Now

As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we’ll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here’s how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides.

August 8, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of facade of red brick high-rise apartment building in Columbus, Ohio.

Eight Ohio Towns Ban Source of Income Discrimination in Housing

The group doesn’t include Cleveland, where landlords can explicitly exclude housing voucher recipients from rental properties.

August 8, 2024 - Signal Cleveland

"No Camping" sign with symbols on a beachfront.

Florida Public Sleeping Ban Goes Into Effect October 1

The law allows citizens to sue cities for lax enforcement.

August 7, 2024 - First Coast News

Colorful three-story multifamily housing.

Affordable Housers Face Deepening Rental Arrears and Ballooning Expenses

Four years after the pandemic first wrought havoc on the American economy, nonprofit housers are being overwhelmed by rental arrears. Can they balance their social mission against their operational realities?

August 6, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of red and white "No camping - Violators subject to arrest" sign.

ACLU Sues Washington State for Anti-Camping Laws

In the first legal challenges since June’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that cities can enforce outdoor sleeping bans, the ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging Washington’s anti-camping laws violate the state constitution.

August 6, 2024 - Associated Press via ABC News

View looking up at Zilker Studios apartment building in Austin, Texas.

What Makes Affordable Housing Green?

There's no one way to determine what makes “green” housing. Here's a breakdown of the standards and considerations used by the affordable housing industry.

August 6, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green highway exit sign for Thurmont, Maryland.

Sober House Zoning Violations Prompt Questions

A sober living house in Maryland has been repeatedly fined by the city for operating as a boarding house, begging the question, where can these facilities be located?

August 6, 2024 - DC News Now

Google street view of two-story white apartment building in Los Angeles, California with "Key West 1940" text above entrance.

LA Officials Struggle to Enforce Short-Term Rental Rules

Hundreds of rent-controlled units are being illegally rented out as short-term rentals, pushing out long-term renters and exacerbating the city’s housing crisis.

August 5, 2024 - ProPublica

Manhattan brick apartments with AC units on windows.

NYC Lawmaker Proposes Mandatory Cooling Law

Despite hundreds of heat-related deaths every year, the city has no regulations on cooling in residential units.

August 5, 2024 - Word In Black

Wood-framed houses under construction with brick-covered completed homes in background.

Project 2025 and Housing Policy

The Heritage Foundation has issued Project 2025, a list of policy proposals for the next Republican administration. On housing, it seems to embody a range of perspectives.

August 4, 2024 - Michael Lewyn

View of San Francisco from top of hill with Victorian houses in foreground.

San Francisco Bans Rent Fixing Software

The Board of Supervisors unanimously supported a bill that bars landlords from using software that critics say facilitates collusion between landlords.

August 2, 2024 - San Francisco Examiner

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.