Housing
19 Progressive Recommendations for Seattle's Housing Crisis
The Urbanist chose 19 of the progressive recommendations from a total of 65 put forward by the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Advisory Committee (HALA) committee.

San Francisco Mayor Announces Affordable Housing Plan
Adding new details to a plan that is sure to create controversy, Mayor Ed Lee has a new plan to aadd affordable housing to the city of San Francisco.
Affordable Housing Overhaul Proposed Amid Jersey City Building Boom
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is pushing for an ambitious program to overhaul the city's development subsidies, even as building permits are flying off the shelves.
Is Sluggish Single-Family Housing Construction Slowing the Economy?
The Wall Street Journal implies a take on the U.S. economy that might make some urbanists uncomfortable: more single-family construction is necessary for a full economic recovery.

Problems With New York City's Temporary Shelter Program
With a surging homeless population, the city's cluster site program incentivizes slumlords and reduces the supply of affordable housing.

A Tale of Two Neighborhoods: TOD, Fair Housing, and Economic Mobility
"Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing"—as a new rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development proposes to do—can vary widely, even in the same city.

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.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont