Housing

Suburbia

American Suburbia Transplanted to Beijing

Chinese and Indian cities have been quick to welcome housing developments modeled on North American suburbs, including "Orange County" and "Vancouver Forest" in Beijing. This globalized sprawl perpetuates all the ills of our own.

June 30, 2015 - The City Fix

Downtown Miami

Downtown Miami's Lack of Height Limits Credited with Affordability Improvements

An article in Governing argues that increased housing supply in Bricknell has helped keep down the costs of housing in adjacent neighborhoods like Overtown and Little Havana.

June 29, 2015 - Governing

Rental Construction

Sunday Funday: Game Simulates the Development Experience

Even though it's simplified, Inside the Rent provides a window into the logic of developers trying to get apartments built in New York City. The game's creators emphasize its educational value.

June 28, 2015 - Curbed NY

Where Rents Have Increased Most in New York

It might come as a surprise, but Harlem is the neighborhood with the biggest increase in rents since 2002—a stunning 90 percent increase according to recent analysis.

June 25, 2015 - Gothamist

Supreme Court Upholds 'Disparate Impact' in Key Fair Housing Decision

A highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling on the concept of "disparate impact" at the heart of the Fair Housing Act.

June 25, 2015 - CityLab

To Auction or Not? Philadelphia Proceeds with Tax Lien Auction Despite Criticism

In an ongoing effort to turn around its stock of vacant, tax delinquent properties, the city of Philadelphia will send some 1,400 liens to auction.

June 25, 2015 - NewsWorks

Construction

Harvard Report: U.S. Housing Recovery Losing Momentum

The State of the Nation's Housing, a closely watched report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, was released to the public today.

June 24, 2015 - Joint Center for Housing Studies

Philadelphia Rowhouse

Philadelphia's Rowhouse Remedy for Gentrification

Blessed with an innate resilience, Philadelphia's brick rowhouses risk disrepair and redevelopment. Local nonprofits are looking for ways to keep this resource equitable.

June 24, 2015 - Next City

Seattle Mixed Use Development

Seattle NIMBYs Protest Dense Development, Cite Eastern Bloc

A zoning bill has stirred up the fear that dense development projects will transform Seattle into a "Soviet cityscape." Residents accuse developers of using loopholes to squeeze in pricey, out-of-character townhomes.

June 23, 2015 - The Seattle Times

trax light rail train in foreground, snow-covered mountains in background

Affordable Housing Follows Good Transit

More raw housing stock is only the first step. Without comprehensive transit, the value of density can't extend beyond the city center.

June 22, 2015 - Grist

Urban Institute Report: Peak Homeownership Reached Nine Years Ago

Homeownership peaked at 67.3% in 2006. The Urban Institute forecasts its decline to the year 2030. Emily Badger of The Washington Post Wonkblog writes on the report released this month that evaluates homeownership rates among different demographics.

June 17, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

San Jose, California

California State Supreme Court Upholds Inclusionary Zoning Laws

The California Building Industry Association (BIA) had taken its case to the State Supreme Court, but in the end the court decided that municipalities could require developers to set aide a portion of units for affordable housing.

June 15, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

HUD's 'Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing' Provokes Controversy in Congress

A rule proposed by the Obama Administration has been criticized for attempting to build an "unrealistic utopia." The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing would require cities to fund affordable housing in a broader spectrum of neighborhoods.

June 15, 2015 - The Hill

San Francisco Skyline

San Francisco's Intractable Housing Dilemma

Blogger Shane Phillips writes that San Francisco has two possible responses to its housing crisis: increase supply to accommodate newcomers, or hunker down and promote only subsidized housing. Both, he says, are lousy. Other coastal cities, beware.

June 14, 2015 - Better Institutions

How Landlords Segregate Neighborhoods

Exploring the persistence of racial segregation as a result of U.S. housing policies—policies intended to break patterns of segregation, not reproduce them.

June 10, 2015 - The Atlantic

Seattle Searching for Answers on Affordable Housing

The city of Seattle has a stated goal of creating 30,000 new market rate housing units and 20,000 new or newly rent-restricted units in the city in the next 10 years. How to do so is the question currently before local officials.

June 10, 2015 - The Seattle Times

New York City Construction

U.S. Opposition to New Development

New data from the 2015 Saint Index shows what projects provoke the most opposition in the United States when proposed "In your community."

June 10, 2015 - The 2015 Saint Index

Uhaul Trucks

The New Housing Crisis: Declining Homeownership, Increasing Rental Costs

Research from the Urban Institute identifies market and demographic trends that could mean a future housing market that will stand in stark contrast to the "subprime mania of the early 2000s."

June 9, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

Santa Monica

Op-Ed Decries Santa Monica's Airbnb Ban

By exiling short-term renters, the coastal city of Santa Monica shifts its housing burden onto neighboring areas. That burden, according to this op-ed, contradicts the city's sustainability commitment and further limits scarce residential options.

June 8, 2015 - Santa Monica Daily Press

McMansion

More McMansions: Upscaling Suburbia

According to this article, the market forces behind large home construction are alive and well. In a process of suburban gentrification, developers purchase older, smaller homes and build "McMansions" in their place.

June 8, 2015 - Bloomberg

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.