Housing
Courtyards Make a Comeback
Apparently, "one of the oldest home styles in the world" is making a comeback. Alyssa Abkowitz looks at the growing trend in incorporating courtyards into new home designs.

Driven into Poverty: Walkable Urbanism and the Suburbanization of Poverty
David Moser pens a compelling essay that examines the ways in which sprawling auto-dependent land use patterns exacerbate poverty. As more low-income individuals and families are pushed to the suburbs, "this problem is gaining urgency."
Brad Pitt Struggles to Make It Right in New Orleans
Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation has built 90 cutting-edge homes in New Orleans' largely abandoned Lower Ninth Ward. Stores and services have stayed away, however, prompting many to wonder if the area will ever become a livable community again.
After Cleaning House, NYC Housing Authority Tackles Overdue Repairs
Using funds made available by savings captured through administrative reforms and other sources, New York's beleaguered Housing Authority has made considerable progress in tackling one of its most pressing problems - its backlog of maintenance jobs.
Serving the Needs of Seniors: Solutions in Practice
We've long focused on the *what* when providing housing for seniors. Today Hazel Borys reminds us that the *where* is equally critical, if not more so.
Did Demolishing Chicago's Public Housing Make Residents Better Off?
With the demolition of notorious high-rise housing projects such as Cabrini-Green over the last decade and a half, Chicago became a model for a new approach to public housing. A new study tracks former high-rise residents to see how they've fared.
An Incremental Approach to Slum Improvement
Flavie Halais looks at both successful and unsuccessful cases of alleviating slum conditions on three continents. For the best results, practitioners must be more adept at problem solving and creativity than pure design.

San Francisco Grapples With How to Accommodate Astonishing Growth
Over the next 20 years, San Francisco is expected to add 150,000 new residents, or nearly 20% of its existing population. John Wildermuth looks at the "hard choices" confronting the city as it plans for its future.
Housing: New Game, New Rules?
Over the next two decades, we’re going to experience the most dramatic changes in American neighborhoods since the post-WWII era. Ben Brown looks at the changes on the horizon for the housing market, and the role planners will play in meeting them.

The Next Housing Crisis Isn't Far Off
As aging baby boomers enter retirement and seek to downsize from their large single-family homes (the "great senior sell-off") they'll find a housing market increasingly uninterested in what they're selling, says researcher Arthur C. Nelson.
Can Plan to Develop Private Buildings Solve NYC's Public Housing Woes?
While some agree that the plan has financial merit, others fear the social costs of mixing incomes in public housing neighborhoods. The authority's chairman sees it as a win-win.
Fair Housing Gets a Boost With HUD App
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is looking to technology to help Americans learn more about fair housing practices and make it easier to file complaints about discrimination.
In Toronto, Urban Amenities Lag Behind Condo Boom
Since it began in 1999, Toronto's condo boom has added 120,000 units to the city and, in the process, transformed its urban landscape. City leaders are just now beginning to address how to accommodate these new residents.
Fantastic Floor Plans of TV's Fictional Abodes
Ever wonder how the layout of some of television's most famous domiciles might be depicted in the hands of a professional? Look no further, interior designer Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde has you covered.
The World's Priciest Homes: New Delhi's Crumbling Bungalows
They're filled with musty bathrooms and peeling paint, and they're selling in the tens of millions of dollars. Jim Yardley examines New Delhi's real estate boom, which is driven by "ego, status and some unique distortions in India’s economy."
Can the U.S. Government Extricate Itself from the Mortgage Market?
Although the Obama Administration has supported a reduced role for the government in supporting the housing market, it still backs 90 percent of newly issued mortgages - "more than ever before." A new report examines the prospect of a withdrawal.

Is this the Most Outrageous Example of Sprawl Madness in America?
Suburban Orlando is home to what might well be the best example of the absurd development patterns of post-war America. There you'll find two houses with adjoining backyards whose front doors are separated by seven miles of roads.
Essence of Sustainability
Challenges that strong and weak markets alike share
Affordable Rental Housing Shortage Touches All
Affordable rental housing is scarce in the US, especially among low income people, finds a new report by the Bipartisan Policy Center. As "the housing demand of Baby Boomers and their children starts to converge," the problem will only get worse.
San Francisco Embraces Gentrification
Unlike the 1970s and 80s, when a building boom created a vocal backlash, S.F.'s current surge in development hasn't galvanized a concerted no-build movement. If gentrification is driven by demand 'from the bottom up,' does that mean it's desirable?
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