Housing
How to Rethink the Suburbs: A Lesson From Toronto
A new zoning law in Toronto could enable its hundreds of suburban tower developments to become vibrant and active communities.
San Francisco Teachers Could Get Eviction Protections
San Francisco may move to protect teachers from "no-fault" evictions during the school year.
Making Sense of Median Rent Statistics
Amid the ubiquitous, and inconsistent, reportage on rising rents and housing prices, a guide from City Observatory helps point readers toward the most accurate numbers.
How to Overcome a Legacy of Racist Housing Policy
An editorial by the co-director of the Texas Low Incomes Housing Information Service argues the benefits of a proposed public and subsidized housing project in Houston.
A Utopian Solution to NIMBYism and High Housing Costs
The housing shortages caused by restrictive zoning are easy to solve in principle—even if the solutions are politically impossible.
In Long Island City, a Glimpse of the Future?
According to critic James Russell, Long Island City has come to resemble the new metropolises of Asia. A frenetic jumble of old and new, the area's "dystopian" qualities aren't all bad.
Canada Is Looking Better and Better
Alan Mallach unpacks a remarkable project currently underway in Toronto, suggesting that sometimes higher, rather than lower, density may be the best way to go.
'Supply-Side' Arguments, and Why Geography, Scale, and Migration Matter
When it comes to housing, supply and demand isn’t as simple as it seems (or as simple as some boosters would like us to think), and a supply-side strategy will not work in every context to address affordability, including in hot neighborhoods.
Austin Updates Small-Lot Amnesty Program
The city of Austin has approved land use regulation changes on one of those traditional hot button planning issues: small-lot developments.
New Orleans Public Housing Opens Its Doors to People With Criminal Records
The Housing Authority of New Orleans has approved a new policy on criminal background checks that will remove the ban on residents with criminal records.
Parking Requirements and Housing Prices: More Questions Than Answers in Portland
The city of Portland is considering an expansion of parking requirements in Northwest Portland, much to the chagrin of advocates who predict the new requirements will make housing more expensive.
Could Tent Cities Work in California?
Seeking new approaches to a growing homelessness problem, Sacramento officials recently toured the "tent cities" of Seattle.
New York City Council Approves Sweeping Zoning Changes
Politico New York reports all the important details on a big day for planning in New York City—as the City Council overwhelmingly approved two controversial zoning changes to help spur the construction of affordable housing.
Revealed: The Winners of AIA Chicago's Tiny Homes Competition
Tiny homes have captured new attention as a potential response to the homelessness and housing supply limitations gripping many U.S. cities. An AIA Chicago design competition recently called on architects to design new prototypes of the tiny home.
Anchorage Updates Land Use Plan Map
After 34 years the Municipality of Anchorage is updating its land use plan map, a companion piece to its comprehensive plan adopted in 2001. The land use plan map sets the stage for future growth and development in this Northern City of 301,000.
Evaluating Affordable Housing Development Strategies
There are many ways that communities can support and encourage affordable housing development. Let's compare them.
Munich Builds New Housing Over Parking Lots
Fed up with all the extra space parked cars occupy, residents of Munich have turned to affordable housing built over already-existing parking lots. The wood-frame structures will be prefabricated and assembled quickly.
Sprawl and the Declining City
Sprawl lowers real estate values in cheap, declining cities—but it may also have social costs that aren't as relevant elsewhere.
Community Development Corporations Struggling to Stay Afloat in St. Louis
Less funding has led to a decline in the number of community development corporations in the St. Louis area, despite a persistent need for their services.
How Oakland Is Tackling Its Housing Crisis
Just across the Bay Bridge from one of the most famous examples of a broken housing market, Oakland is working to keep up with the effects of housing demand.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
