Housing
What HUD's Been Up To
The new "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" rule may impose additional paperwork burdens on local government, but is unlikely to cause major policy changes.
State Documents Reveal Woes at Pioneering Atlantic Yards Modular Tower
What was promised as the tallest building in the world built by modular construction is delayed and the subject of lawsuits. State documents, recently made public, describe water damage, tolerance challenges, and unanticipated repairs.
Conflicting Stories From Los Angeles' Skid Row
As the city considers new ordinances making it easier for police to break up homeless camps, residents say forced displacement is already underway. Police deny an increase in homeless sweeps.
Aging Boomer Suburbanites: The Coming Transit Disaster
The suburbs are not conducive to the aging baby boomers that populate them. How do we prepare?
Using Vacant Property Registration Fee Ordinances to Fix Blight
Planners get involved with foreclosure by assisting residents threatened with foreclosure or addressing community impacts such as blight, vacancy, and property disinvestment. A look at vacant property fees as a tool for dealing with foreclosure.
Big Money Floods Venice Beach
Is a gentrified Venice Beach still Venice Beach? With median home prices topping $1.4 million, the area's eclectic characters can't afford to stay. Investors and the tech industry say the change is only natural.
San Francisco to Vote on Affordable Housing Bond
A ballot decision in November will determine whether San Francisco can sell $310 million in bonds to pay for affordable housing. The proposal coincides with Mayor Ed Lee's campaign for re-election.
'New Orleans Saved Itself': Cutting-Edge Community Planning Post-Katrina
Ten years ago, a number of architecture firms went to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina for a humanitarian "experiment"—rebuilding part of the underserved Lower Ninth Ward as an innovative, LEED Platinum, affordable community.
Two Narratives Collide in Post-Katrina New Orleans
“A narrative of rebirth, reform and success that coexists with a narrative of stasis, failure and unrealized dreams.”
What We Didn't Learn From Katrina
Cities are immensely complex self-organizing systems, not mere top-down designs—but they do need top-down interventions in strategic places. Unfortunately, we still have inadequate models and tools.
Planning the Future of Buffalo's Outer Harbor Waterfront
A plan to revitalize Buffalo's Outer Harbor as an expansive, fully programmed park was sunk by a housing component. A new draft is expected soon.
Building a Better Suburb
Suburbs are changing. Instead of "green lawns, sprawling backyards, and lots of parking for cars," now there are "agri-hoods."
An Interview with HUD Secretary Julian Castro
"We use housing as a platform to create greater opportunity in people's lives."
Housing Choice Voucher Holders Still Face Barriers to Mobility
Voucher recipients live in slightly better neighborhoods than the average poor household, but they still live in economically and racially segregated neighborhoods with poor-performing schools.
Terms and Concepts for Understanding Land Banks
Clarifying some of the jargon that drives the land bank process in Cuyahoga County, Ohio reveals the importance and scale of neighborhood stabilization in some parts of the country.
Why the McMansion Isn't Really Back
Joe Cortright criticizes reports linking high median new home sizes to a renewed demand for McMansions. The market for single-family homes, he argues, locks out buyers of modest means. Only the well-off are buying.
HUD Decides to Evict 'Over-Income' Public Housing Tenants
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has shifted its response to an audit finding tens of thousands "over-income" residents living in subsidized housing.
Escaping the Cycle of Inflated Housing Costs
In an insightful article, William Fulton unpacks the supply-demand cycle driving costs skyward in certain areas. To address the problem, new construction needs an unprecedented level of diversity.
Sacramento's Careful Approach to Legitimizing Airbnb
The battles in New York and San Francisco have cities like Sacramento preparing for the growth of the home-sharing economy.
Luxury Multi-Family Housing Boom Creates Scarcity in Other Markets
The Wall Street Journal examines one of the causes of the missing middle of the housing market—luxury multi-family developments pencil out while the supply of mid- and market-rate housing options dwindles.
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.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
