Housing

Transit Oriented Development

Transit Oriented Development Increases Value and Affordability

The new TOD Index provides solid information on Transit-Oriented Development impact and benefits. It indicates that home values near rail stations outperform the national market, yet they are also more affordable for residents.

December 20, 2014 - TOD Index

Boomers Drive Home Sales; Millennials Still on the Sidelines

Bloomberg produced an article describing what it sees as the dominant narrative of the for-sale housing market as the country slowly emerges from the recession and adjusts to its new demographic realities.

December 18, 2014 - Bloomberg

It's A Wonderful Life

The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2014

We've been collecting data on the posts you made the most popular for the year 2014.

December 18, 2014 - James Brasuell

Groundbreaking for Controversial 'Atlantic Yards' Development

The development formerly known as Atlantic Yards—now called Pacific Park—broke ground this week, finally setting in motion a massive development beset by fierce controversy in the 11 years since it was first proposed.

December 16, 2014 - Crain's New York Business

Fair Housing and Community Development: Better Together!

Conversations about fair housing and place-based work too often lead to a perceived need to defend turf. Reece and Kriesberg got together instead to talk about common ground, using Rooflines as a hub for debate!

December 15, 2014 - Rooflines

Apartments for rent signage

Interactive Map Shows Wage Requirements for Rent Affordability

A post by Matthew Yglesias for Vox shows how much you would need to earn an hour to be able to afford a median rental property in your city.

December 14, 2014 - Vox

Manufactured Housing: Underutilized and Misunderstood

What will it take for manufactured housing, the principal source of unsubsidized, affordable homes in the United States, to reach its potential?

December 10, 2014 - Rooflines

The Most Expensive Cities for Short-Term Rentals

A recent study measured average prices (both peak and off-peak) of 60,000 properties in 150 cities. New York City showed a surprising distinction in hotel and Airbnb rates.

December 10, 2014 - Wall Street Journal - Digits

New York City Zoning Map

When Planners Misread Maps: It's Time to Rethink Zoning

Jordan Fraade writes of the embarrassing mishap of the New York City department that misread its own zoning maps. What else are we missing, and at what cost, because of byzantine land use regulations?

December 9, 2014 - Al Jazeera America

How a Land Trust Property Went Viral

Defy Media created a Prank It Fwd video that has received over 5 million YouTube views. What those viewers didn't know was that the house given away in the video is part of a land trust from Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland.

December 9, 2014 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Study Finds that Gasoline Prices Impact Home Values

A study published by the Brooking Institution finds varying results, depending on the neighborhood, for a study of the impact of gasoline prices on home values.

December 8, 2014 - Brookings

Hotel Lobby With Cute Sleeping Child

Popular in 2014: Increasing Transient Occupancy Taxes

Fourteen California municipalities attempted to increase their Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOTs) through ballot measures this November. Why are cities around the state looking to TOTs to increase revenues?

December 8, 2014 - Maayan Dembo

Library

Top 10 Books - 2015

Planetizen is pleased to release its list of the ten best books in urban planning, design, and development published in 2014.

December 8, 2014 - James Brasuell

Ithaca Eco Village

The Eco Village Concept: Climate Mitigation Might Require Experimentation

Robert Boyer of UNC-Charlotte discusses his new article on the hurdles surrounding building environmentally friendly Ecovillages. Follow Journal of Planning Education and Research @JPER7.

December 8, 2014 - JPER

Gentrification

3 Strategies for Controlling Gentrification

Sandy Smith summarizes a recent "Gentrification, Integration, and Equity" event hosted by Next City in Philadelphia.

December 6, 2014 - Next City

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Affordable Accessory Dwelling Units

Prospect Newtown, in Longmont, CO, has seamlessly integrated affordable housing by creating a host of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The ADUs are perfectly blended within the town overall—and actually help contribute to the development’s success.

December 6, 2014 - Build a Better Burb

2015: Year of the First-Time Homebuyer

New data released by online real estate marketplace Zillow suggests that 2015 will be a breakthrough year for first-time homebuyers.

December 2, 2014 - Zillow

When People Say 'Functionally Obsolete' but Really Mean 'Redline'

A MinnPost column finds nefarious purposes at work in the use of a couple of the common buzzwords employed in debates about Minneapolis housing.

December 2, 2014 - MinnPost

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

Do Urban Neighborhoods Need Homeowners?

Alan Mallach describes the decline of and need for homeownership in urban neighborhoods.

December 2, 2014 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

To Understand New York's Needs, Think Beyond Manhattan

When most people think of New York City, says CUNY planning professor and activist Tom Angotti, they think of Manhattan. This excessive focus on a narrow slice of the greater New York metropolitan area needs to be reconsidered.

December 1, 2014 - Satellite Magazine

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.