Housing
The Next Step in Downtown Pittsburgh's Resurgence: Build More Parking?
With an approaching mayoral transition, Mark Belko looks at what Pittsburgh's next leader will need to focus on to keep downtown's rejuvenation rolling. Should building more parking be at the top of the list?
D.C.'s Displacement Woes Spread to the Suburbs
D.C.'s decade of prosperity and growth has been accompanied by a wave of development and displacement that is now threatening to submerge its inner-ring suburbs. Robert McCartney examines the consequences.
Miami’s Missing Middle
Miami’s housing stock can be characterized generally to encompass single family homes and condos. Between these two options, however, other choices are lacking.

The Case for Age-Friendly Suburbs
Several trends are conspiring to challenge America's ability to house and care for its senior citizens. Utilizing successful examples, architect and planner Eric C.Y. Fang examines how the suburbs can be adapted to support an aging population.

The 'American Dream' Gets a Rewrite
A new survey has revealed that the housing bust has taken a toll on the fabled "American Dream," with the majority of respondents asserting that policies should be directed "to encourage rentals equally as much as home purchases."
To Create a Great 'Third Place', Get Out of the Way
For far too long, the shaping of public spaces has been left to architects and urban planners, who plan from the top down. The most successful projects involve people directly in deciding how their public spaces will look, feel, and operate.

Inspiring Ideas for Solving L.A.'s Biggest Challenges
With 279 submissions received, the pubic voting period has begun for determining who will receive the $1,000,000 in grants being awarded to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles along eight key indicators.
Can Office Conversions Ease London's Housing Shortage?
As a property buying binge by the global super-rich makes parts of London "more international, more expensive and more empty," the government is looking to ease the conversion of offices to residences. Can this ease the city's housing shortage?
Chinese Cities Take Steps to Tame the Housing Dragon
According to Michael Pettis, who teaches finance at the University of Beijing and is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, China "is awash in cash and credit," stoking fears of an out of control housing bubble.
Canada's 'Slab Farm' Blind Spot
In Canada, more people live in suburban high-rise apartment buildings than any other housing type. Doug Saunders looks at the country's belated recognition for its "elevator suburban" identity.
Why S.F.'s Parking Requirements May Cause Your Building to Crumble in an Earthquake
1960s and 70s era Dingbat buildings, which are common in many California cities, may be hazardous to more than just your design sensibilities. Their much-loathed parking-oriented designs can make buildings especially vulnerable to earthquakes.
Trend Towards Engagement Transforms America's Public Housing
Public housing models in the U.S. are becoming more community-oriented and taking varying demographics into account during the design process. Engagement with the street, the neighborhood, and social services are creating new design typologies.
How New York's Hasidim Solved the City's Affordable Housing Problem
The certainly won't win any design awards, but new multi-family residential buildings erected by Hasidic developers in Brooklyn show that it's possible to build spacious and cheap housing in New York for families small and large.

Holy Cow! Indy Ballpark Transformed by Unique Adaptive Re-Use Project
The conversion of an historic art deco baseball stadium in Indianapolis into loft apartments is one of the most inventive adaptive re-use projects we've ever seen.

Value of Homes Near Transit Fared Much Better During the Recession
A new study conducted by the Center for Neighborhood Technology shows that homes in close proximity to transit stations lost much less of their value during the collapse of the housing market, reports Tanya Snyder.
Why Are There So Many Vacant Condos in Vancouver?
New analysis of census data has found that a quarter of the condos in some areas of downtown Vancouver are empty or occupied by non-residents, leading analysts to raise concerns about the role of investors in the city's housing market.
Builders Can't Keep Up with Demand for Homes
The rapid recovery of the housing market has caught America's home builders off guard with record low levels of inventory. The return of "bubblelike price jumps" and bidding wars are causing problems for buyers and sellers alike.

Top Trends 2012-2013
Over the course of the year, the editors of Planetizen review and summarize thousands of articles, books, studies and editorials related to planning and urban development. Here are our picks for the most notable planning trends of the past year.
Schizo Skyline: Warring Williamsburg Mandates Leave Waterfront Out of Whack
Did the rezoning of the Williamsburg waterfront backfire? Stephen Jacob Smith reflects on the lack of transition between the neighborhood's skyscraping waterfront and its low-rise inland, a missing middle mandated by recent upzoning.
Extremely Low-Cost Housing Solutions Gain Currency
Lamar Anderson offers a window into some promising extremely inexpensive housing solutions that engage the user in the design and construction process.
Pagination
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions