Housing

Explained: East New York's Big Zoning Changes

Some residents of East New York argue that mandatory inclusionary zoning and other changes proposed for the neighborhood will only help displace low-income residents.

October 15, 2015 - The Architect's Newspaper

San Francisco View from Dolores Park

Seattle Looks to San Francisco—For What Not To Do

San Francisco has long been the envy of other cities. But in recent years, as real estate prices have skyrocketed and the city's soul seems on the wane, many cities have begun looking at San Francisco as an example of what not to do.

October 14, 2015 - The New York Times

California House

Affordable Housing Becomes More Affordable in California Due to Parking Reform

AB 744, a bill which requires no more than one parking space be provided for every two units of affordable and senior housing proximate to transit, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 9.

October 14, 2015 - Smart Growth America

Jerry Brown

California Governor Jerry Brown Pessimistic on Affordability

Housing often costs a literal fortune in California, and Governor Jerry Brown doesn't see an easy fix. Demand to live in the state is high, but there are local factors at work impeding housing construction.

October 12, 2015 - San Francisco Business Times

San Francisco Coit Tower Construction

Bay Area Warned: Millennials Will Leave if Housing Prices Don't Change

Millennials in the Bay Area are feeling priced out, and may bolt if they can't find housing they can afford.

October 11, 2015 - Next City

Watch San Francisco's Houses Transform Into Million Dollar Listings

A new study by Trulia quantifies the number of houses that broached the $1 million listing benchmark in the city of San Francisco between January 2010 and September 2015. A pretty/scary infographic illustrates the findings.

October 10, 2015 - Trulia

Glut of New Supply Shaking Up the Apartment Market

An industry report finds rising vacancies rates and lots of new supply coming down the pipeline. Could the nation's renters finally be in the market for some relief on the cost of housing?

October 8, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

Jim Crow

The Metamorphosis of Redlining

Redlining has been around for a long time, but across the country, local, state, and federal agencies are filing complaints against banks and other corporations for creative and subtle new forms of discrimination.

October 7, 2015 - CityLab

Iowa State Flag

The Top 10 Cities for Millennial Homebuyers—Starting With Des Moines

A list of cities with the highest percentage of homebuyers described by the category of Millennial is conspicuously absent of expensive, coastal cities.

October 6, 2015 - Bloomberg Business

Bay Area Extreme Commuting for the Love of Larger, Affordable Single Family Homes

It's a tradeoff that 3.9 percent of the Bay Area workforce are willing to make to own an affordable home. It's often not even a choice between living in the city or the suburbs, but the close-in suburbs or the exurbs or San Joaquin Valley.

October 4, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

Seattle Waterfront Condos

Seattle's Struggle to Build Affordable Housing

The Emerald City's affordable housing difficulties mirror those of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others: too much demand and too few resources.

October 3, 2015 - Crosscut

Chicago Apartments

Chicago Rule Change Encourages Affordable Housing

This month, changes to Chicago's Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) will go into effect, raising the in-lieu fees developers must pay to opt out of building affordable units downtown.

October 2, 2015 - The Architect's Newspaper

Northwest Portland Hostel

The Charms of 'Illegal Neighborhoods'

A longtime resident of an old, eclectic neighborhood reflects on what makes the area so desirable and why new places like it are effectively outlawed today.

October 2, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

Yonkers

What 'Show Me a Hero' Teaches About Segregation and Race

David Simon believes the events depicted in his new HBO mini-series were the result of a history of systematic hyper-segregation in America. HUD Secretary Castro agrees.

October 1, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

San Francisco Houses

Density Bonuses Proposed to Spur Affordable Housing in San Francisco

Mayor Ed Lee this week proposed a density bonus policy that would help the city build approximately 16,000 new units of housing, including 5,000 affordable units along select transit corridors.

September 30, 2015 - The San Francisco Chronicle

School bus with stop sign

Exclusionary Schooling: The Forces that Widen the Achievement Gap

Sixty years after Brown v. Board, exclusionary zoning and school district rules still promote the economic and racial segregation of public schools.

September 28, 2015 - City Observatory

Model Neighborhood

Is Older Necessarily Better? The Immaculate Conception Theory of Neighborhood Origin

Critics often assume that newer buildings are inferior to old. The same was said when the old buildings were new.

September 27, 2015 - City Commentary

No Luxury Condos

Report: There's a Right Way to Do Inclusionary Zoning

A new study from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy makes the case for well-timed, thoughtful use of inclusionary zoning as a tool to support diverse, affordable communities.

September 24, 2015 - At Lincoln House

German Cities Rewrite Building Codes to Provide Homes for Refugees

Germany has reformed building codes in a marshaling of political will known as the "Culture of Welcome" for an expected one million refugees. German cities, many of them shrinking for decades, see the refugees as an opportunity and a responsibility.

September 24, 2015 - The Globe and Mail

LA Crime Scene

Still Gritty: Crime Wave in Downtown Los Angeles

As people and jobs stream into the district, downtown's long-simmering problems butt up against vigorous urban renewal. Crime is up, but so are property values.

September 23, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

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.

Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop

Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

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Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

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.