Housing

Luxury Housing Is Not the Enemy

We can't build our way out of the housing crisis…but we won't get out without building.

March 18, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Tenderloin District

Op-Ed: Overcoming a New NIMBYism

Rick Jacobus argues that those who block new development on social justice grounds aren't fighting to win long-term. Building is necessary, but with it should come robust affordable housing mandates.

March 17, 2016 - Shelterforce

How Federal Housing Programs Built Segregation in St. Louis

St. Louis Public Radio details the work of a local researcher who says the segregation of today's St. Louis is the result of deliberate, decades-long federal housing policy.

March 15, 2016 - St. Louis Public Radio

More Anti-Density Measures Headed to the Ballot in Southern California

Witness the full force of anti-development animus in Southern California, where at least three cities are facing variety of backlash to the status quo of zoning and development processes.

March 15, 2016 - KPCC

A Chronicle of Inequality—Starting with Memphis and Houston

Places Journal has launched a series titled "The Inequality Chronicles." Expect high-quality longform articles.

March 15, 2016 - Places Journal

Urban Infill

Finding Middle Ground in the Density Debate

Writer Alex Marshall looks to Kitsilano, a Vancouver neighborhood, for urban infill done right. Skyscrapers and mid-rise developments aren't always necessary to achieve more people per square foot.

March 14, 2016 - Governing

Another California Columnist Rails Against CEQA Abuse by NIMBYs

With the help of housing experts, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Chip Johnson points to abuse of the California Environmental Quality Act by NIMBYs as one of the main reasons for the Bay Area's housing crisis. Ethan Elkind offers an opposing view.

March 14, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Manhattan Skyline

Manhattan's Glut of Condos Now a Glut of Apartments

Despite concerns than foreign investors would snatch up expensive condo properties around Manhattan, keeping the supply our of reach of local renters, analysts report rental prices are dropping as new supply enters the market.

March 12, 2016 - Bloomberg Business

Affordable Housing

Using the Wrong Tools to Build Affordable Housing

What's the best way to deliver long-term affordable housing?

March 11, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Op-Ed: To Fix Poverty, Make Housing Fair for Everyone

A Harvard sociologist and author of "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" supports a large expansion of housing vouchers to rebalance the scales of the housing market.

March 9, 2016 - The New York Times

Report Finds Much Ado About Nothing for Vancouver Real Estate

Despite reports to the contrary, a recent report created in part by the City of Vancouver, finds that most housing types in the city have yet to be sold to absentee landlords.

March 9, 2016 - The Globe and Mail

Mountain View Breaks Rank—Approves Large Amount of New Residential Land Uses

According to a new plan approved by the city of Mountain View, developers could now add a large amount of dense housing on the doorstep of Google's headquarters.

March 8, 2016 - Vox

Glenmont Metrocentre

How One Developer Is Delivering Urban Infill

Doug Bauer, CEO of one of the nation's largest homebuilders, describes the political and design decisions that contributed to the success of urban infill projects in four unique case studies.

March 8, 2016 - Doug Bauer

Seaside Entrance

The Same Old Misconceptions

Misconceptions about New Urbanism persist.

March 7, 2016 - Michael Lewyn

The Case for Making Federal Housing Programs Like HAMP and HARP Permanent

There have been a number of federal and state programs to address the housing and foreclosure crisis. While these programs have helped a lot of people and continue to do so, many people that are qualified still have trouble completing these programs.

March 7, 2016 - DSNews

Baltimore Demolition

It's Time to Stop Blaming Historic Preservation For Affordable Housing Woes

In a rebuttal to criticisms leveled at historic preservation districts, Stephanie Meeks of the National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that historic preservation has value and can aid in creating affordable housing.

March 7, 2016 - CityLab

Report: High Housing Costs Responsible for California's Economic Woes, Not Taxes

The Golden State attracts high-end workers, while its high housing costs cause a disproportionate number of low and middle income workers to flee the state. The non-profit think tank, Next 10, delves into this crisis in three new reports.

March 7, 2016 - Next 10

Viva Las House Flipping

While the practice of flipping houses has not yet returned to its pre-recession levels, one city in particular, is climbing quickly back to peak levels: Las Vegas.

March 1, 2016 - Bloomberg Business

Pittsburgh Skyline

Black Residents Displaced in Pittsburgh

Rents are on the rise in Pittsburgh, prompting some longtime residents to relocate farther away. Race, as well as class, figures heavily in this narrative.

March 1, 2016 - Carnegie Museum of Art Blog

Affordable housing

Op-Ed: Affordability Crisis Dwarfs Affordability Policies

Although the political optics are hard to see, Daniel Hertz argues that policies like inclusionary zoning need to be strengthened by orders of magnitude to have more than a token impact on housing affordability.

February 27, 2016 - City Observatory

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.