Housing
'Plansplaining' and its Discontents
Yes, planners have expertise to share, but according to this rather pointed critique, they also sometimes forget that other people do too.
Op-Ed: The Shortcomings of Matthew Desmond's 'Evicted'
Matthew Desmond's ethnographic study has received critical praise. But David Adler asks whether the book's approach tacitly lets affluent non-landlords off the hook.
California's Inland Empire Ready to Build Again
As an article in Builder puts it: the 'Inland Empire Strike Back' with a large new masterplanned community in Riverside County. This region, hit particularly hard by the housing crash of the Great Recession looks ready pick up where it left off.
A Call for Prevailing Wages as a Housing Solution
An op-ed written by city officials from two South Bay Area cities argues that reform of land use regulations won't be enough to solve California's housing crisis.
Amazon to House Homeless in Seattle Headquarters
Headquarters campus of Amazon will include housing for homeless who would have been displaced by the company’s purchase of the hotel that included their shelter.
San Francisco Moving Forward on its First Teacher Housing Project
The mayor of San Francisco announced plans to convert an old administrative building, owned by the school district, into housing for teachers. It’s a long-awaited idea that has finally come to fruition.
San Jose Approves Tenant Protections, Studying a Ban on Voucher Discrimination
The city of San Jose, California is crafting regulations to give renters and low-income residents more rights and access to fair housing.
Signs of Life from the Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act, considered under threat by the Trump Administration and the Republican majority in Congress, still has power, but cities have long road ahead to prove bans liable for harms caused by predatory and discriminatory lending.
Milwaukee Looking for Ways to Finally Force Landlords to Pay Property Taxes
Landlords in Milwaukee have several methods for avoiding paying fines and property taxes—it's all a part of gaming the system. After the local paper investigated the "landlord games," the city is taking action.
Op-Ed: Sacramento Drags Feet on Housing
Dan Walters has some harsh words for California state leaders. He says their approach to the housing shortage has been "tepid" and "lackadaisical."
Rents and Inequity Rising Together
U.S. landlords are getting a bigger share of the economic pie than they ever have before, according to new government data.
What Will Los Angeles Will Do Next On Housing & Water? Look To Their Neighbors
The cities of Santa Monica, Culver CIty, West Hollywood, and Malibu are championing stormwater infrastructure, new public transit, affordable housing, and action on homelessness prevention.
U.S. Housing Prices Still Haven't Recovered from the Great Recession
While some cities become more and more expensive, most of the country's housing prices still haven't recovered from the great recession.
Inclusionary Zoning Bill to Increase Affordable Rentals Passes California Assembly
Due to a 2009 court decision, cities and counties in California are prohibited from requiring that a percentage of units in rental developments be affordable. A bill by Assemblyman Richard Bloom would restore inclusionary zoning for rentals.
Middle Neighborhoods: On the Edge of Greatness or Distress
St. Louis provides the backdrop for a discussion about "middle neighborhoods"—the subject of a 2016 book by Paul C. Brophy.
$2.5 Million is Too Much for a Teardown
Palo Alto has become so expensive, plots of land with derelict houses sell for millions of dollars. Mathew Yglesias argues allowing small municipalities to make their own zoning laws is partly to blame.
'Citizen Jane' Sets the Battle Lines for the Future of Cities
Coinciding with the 101st anniversary of Jane Jacobs's birth, a documentary film showing in select theaters around the country recounts the history between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses, and the ideas that forced their struggle.
After Measure S: Los Angeles Leaders Ponder Growth and Equity
The controversy over the recent ballot initiative known as Measure S has Los Angeles thinking: How can the city accommodate new housing supply without disenfranchising communities?
Study: House Sizes Increase at the Expense of Tree Canopies
A research study has found that increasing house sizes in the Los Angeles area have drastically reduced the number of trees shading the region's landscapes—regardless of geographic location of socioeconomic status.
San Francisco Preserves Affordable Housing At Risk of Gentrification
A loan program helps non-profits procure affordable apartment buildings that might otherwise be snatched up by speculative developers.
Pagination
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello