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.

March 16, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Strip Mall

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."

March 13, 2013 - Citytank

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.

March 13, 2013 - The New Republic

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.

March 12, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

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.

March 12, 2013 - PlaceShakers

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.

March 11, 2013 - Chicago Tribune

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.

March 10, 2013 - Architectural Record

San Francisco Skyline

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.

March 6, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

March 6, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Home For Sale Signs

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.

March 5, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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.

March 5, 2013 - City Limits

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.

March 5, 2013 - The Washington Post

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.

March 4, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

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.

March 4, 2013 - Laughing Squid

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."

March 4, 2013 - The New York Times

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.

March 1, 2013 - The New York Times

Florida Sprawl

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.

March 1, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Essence of Sustainability

Challenges that strong and weak markets alike share

March 1, 2013 - Charles Buki

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.

February 27, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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?

February 25, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

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