Housing

Tiny House Prefab

Clearing the Path for Tiny Houses

Clocking in at less than 500 square feet, tiny houses are in greater and greater demand. They've been touted as a means to address affordability, inequality, homelessness, and environmental concerns. But regulatory issues are holding them back.

July 14, 2016 - Pew Charitable Trusts

Homeless

'Housing First' Program Reduces Homelessness by 70 Percent in Milwaukee County

The "housing first" approach to homelessness is building a track record of success in Milwaukee.

July 13, 2016 - Urban Milwaukee

Disneyland

Anaheim—Home to Disneyland—Bans All Short-Term Rentals

Reports about the decision by the Anaheim City Council to ban all short-term rentals, through companies like Airbnb or VRBO, described it as a victory for homeowners.

July 12, 2016 - CBS Los Angeles

Elderly Walking

Suburbs Are Failing the Elderly

Around two-thirds of Baby Boomers in metropolitan areas live in the suburbs. But as they age, suburbia seems less and less hospitable.

July 11, 2016 - RenewATL

Apartments for rent signage

Op-Ed: We Shouldn't Rush to Regulate Airbnb

Is Airbnb a prime target for regulation, or is it just another way to expand the marketplace for bedrooms? Dan Bertolet urges caution. After all, couldn't less Airbnb just mean more hotels?

July 11, 2016 - Sightline Institute

Back Yard

Yards Getting Smaller as Homes Get Bigger

Americans have shown a clear preference for larger homes—even at the expense of the coveted backyard.

July 11, 2016 - The Boston Globe

Hamburg Sets Inclusionary Zoning Pace in Western New York

With less than 60,000 residents, Hamburg, New York might fly under the housing policy radar, but the small town is the first in Western New York to approve inclusionary zoning. Buffalo could be next.

July 10, 2016 - The Buffalo News

Tiny House

Tiny Houses Aren't the Solution

Vox publishes an article debunking tiny houses as the housing silver bullet some hope they will become.

July 9, 2016 - Vox

San Francisco Sprawl

The Real Reasons Affordable Housing Isn't Being Built in California

The policy tools used to address our nation's housing shortfall often seem to worsen the problem. But this is because they ignore the underlying infrastructure and financing to support growth.

July 7, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Los Angeles Smog

The Disconnect Over Displacement in Los Angeles

A mixed-use development proposal in South L.A. highlights a blind spot of progressive urbanism—the gap between what checks all the boxes and what low-income communities really need.

July 6, 2016 - LA Streetsblog

Busy Downtown

New Data on the Shift to Cities

It's no secret that urban centers are doing better today than they were 30 years ago. New FHFA data on housing prices confirms the trend and suggests that a changing environment (as opposed to changing preferences) account for it.

July 6, 2016 - The Washington Post

The Unintended Consequences Lurking in Gov. Brown's Affordable Housing Proposal

California Governor Brown's proposal to streamline affordable housing may cause more problems than it solves, both for affordable housing and community planning, argues Murtaza Baxamusa who teaches planning at USC and develops affordable housing.

July 6, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Barcelona

Barcelona Facing New Housing Problems, and Airbnb

Barcelona is facing increasing pressure on its housing market, primarily in rental prices. The Mediterranean city, which last year became the third most popular European destination after Paris and London, is facing a new housing crisis.

July 6, 2016 - Cities of the Future

Community Meeting

The 3 Most Common Community Engagement Mistakes

Planners, like any other professionals, live in a kind of bubble. Those charged with dealing with the public run the risk of expecting too much from residents as they design community engagement activities. Here are some of the most common mistakes.

July 5, 2016 - Dave Biggs

San Antonio City Hall

San Antonio Wants a Housing Bond, but its Charter Won't Make it Easy

San Antonio provides a case study of the difficult politics of funding affordable housing measures.

July 5, 2016 - San Antonio Express News

Los Angeles Homeless

Los Angeles Voters to Consider $1.2 Billion Property Tax Bond for Homeless Housing

Los Angeles voters will be asked to approve a new property tax on residential and commercial properties to pay for a $1.2 billion to improve the city's worsening homelessness problem.

July 4, 2016 - Los Angeles Daily News

memphis

Planetizen Week in Review: July 1, 2016

It will only take us two-and-a-half minutes to catch you up on the big planning news from the last week of June.

July 1, 2016 - Planetizen

HUD Announces Latest Round of Choice Neighborhood Grants

Ten new neighborhoods join 63 previous grant winners under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.

June 30, 2016 - Next City

Brooklyn Brownstones

U.S. Homes Prices Are Soaring; Seven Cities Set Records

Housing prices are going up, in case you hadn't heard. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index paints the housing market picture in vibrant data.

June 30, 2016 - Associated Press via ABC News

Leave it to beaver house

Survey Finds Pessimism Prevailing in the Housing Market

A new survey finds that many Americans are still extremely pessimistic about the state of the housing market—many even believe that the worst of the mortgage foreclosure crisis that began in 2008 is yet to come.

June 29, 2016 - CityLab

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.

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.