Housing
Airbnb Launches New Anti-Discrimination Policies
In an effort to curb the culture of discrimination enabled on its platform, Airbnb will roll out new features to ensure better service for minorities.
Planetizen Week in Review: September 17, 2016
This week featured good news on the economy like it was pre-2008.
Why California's By-Right Affordable Housing Proposal Died
California's average home prices are 2.5 times the national average and rising, so why is it so hard to build a political coalition to build more housing, and especially more affordable housing?
If Housing Affordability Is Top Concern, Let Metro Regions Sprawl
Research from BuildZoom, a San Francisco-based contractors' website, shows that housing affordability increases with a region's ability to build outwards, as opposed to upwards. Densification largely has not accompanied efforts to curb sprawl.
Rent and Eviction Controls on the November Ballot in Six Bay Area Cities
Voters in six Bay Area cities in four Bay Area counties will determine the outcome of eight ballot measures on rent and eviction control. Two of the cities will have city council-sponsored measures competing against voter initiatives.
McMansions Losing Their Shine
Recent analysis shows that Americans are less willing to pay extra for large houses. It's information best viewed skeptically, but it's also worth considering why this trend has finally, semmingly swung the other way.
Survey: Housing Anxiety Growing in the United States
Americans are growing more apprehensive about their housing security.
Condo Developments Trending in Boston
When more people start looking to buy a home in downtown areas, developers start to build condos. Boston provides the latest case study of this market tendency.
Seattle's 'Pathway Home' Initiative Seeks Housing First Strategy for Homeless
'Housing first' has become a policy buzzword of sorts to describe an approach to homeless services. A pair of new reports on the homelessness situation in Seattle finds consensus on the need for a housing first policy.
Planetizen Week in Review: September 10, 2016
The fastest two minutes in planning news.
Portland Extends its 'Housing Emergency' Until 2017
A year ago, Portland declared an official housing emergency to ease homelessness and rising housing costs. A year later, the emergency continues.
Group Living Challenges Single-Family Norms, and That's Okay
Faced with a national housing crisis, it's time for cities to stop letting social mores dictate who can live where.
How Community Engagement Can Restore Trust in Government
Trust between the public and government agencies is low, and democracies are paralyzed without it. How can community engagement help restore trust? This post outlines the challenge and a process for solving it.
Oakland's Lack of Affordable Housing Declared 'Public Health Crisis'
There's a physical cost to rising rents, and Oakland residents are paying the price.
Four Ways L.A. Metro Is Increasing Affordable Housing
A median-income family in the L.A. metro area spends 73 percent of their income on housing and transportation alone. L.A. Metro explains why and how they're taking huge steps to get affordable housing on land they own—where it will do the most good.
State Law Paves the Way for More Granny Flats in California
The state of California stepped into to make it easier for local governments to approve permissive regulations of accessory dwelling units.
The Market Rate of a Shorter Commute
Analysis by FiveThirtyEight offers a lesson in trade-offs. In this case: how much more New Yorkers are willing to pay for less time spent commuting.
Trulia: The U.S. Housing Market Drives Regional Economic Inequality
New research from Trulia finds that an "economic convergence" of housing markets is not happening: the housing rich are getting richer, while the housing poor are getting poorer.
Are Rent-to-Own Homes Predatory?
On the promise of ownership, rent-to-own landlords make tenants pay for repairs. And on the lower end, homes often come with code violations built in. This market's legal grey spaces distinctly echo 2008.
Brooklyn Housing Supply Begins to Match Demand
About 6,500 apartments in 19 towers within 10 square blocks on Flatbush Avenue are expected to be available within two years, but don't expect rents to plunge. Renters should look for perks like one or more months of free rent.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
