Housing

Dramatic Population Growth Presents Opportunity to Reshape America's Urban Environment

To accomodate America's expected population growth by 2050, the country will need to build up to 74 million new homes. This challenge presents a unique opportunity to reshape our urban environment, says Enrique Penalosa, the former mayor of Bogota.

May 1, 2013 - Urban Land

A Community of Brick Suburban Homes on a cloudy summer day

What Types of Homes Will Be Desirable in 10 Years?

What will America's housing market look like in a decade? Will suburban homes make a comeback? Will the popularity of smaller units in urban environments continue to rise? Robert Shiller looks into his housing market crystal ball and sees haze.

April 30, 2013 - The New York Times

Enterprise or Chaos? Cairo's DIY Urbanism

Michael Kimmelman examines the race to rebuild and redefine post-revolutionary Cairo, where residents are recreating the city and civic society, and reclaiming public spaces, from the bottom-up.

April 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Is There a Future for Low-Rise High-Density Housing?

An exhibit that's just opened at NYC's Center for Architecture examines the brief history of a housing type that incorporated elements of suburban housing at higher densities. Can low-rise high-density houding provide a model for affordable infill?

April 26, 2013 - Architizer

Impacts of Redlining Live On in Home Price Disparity

According to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, historical biases lead to minority homebuyers paying an average of 3.5 percent more for their homes than whites, reports Matt Bevilacqua.

April 25, 2013 - Next City

New York City: More Affordable Than You'd Think, for Some

For professional-class workers with annual household incomes in the top income quintile, New York is a comparatively affordable place. A recent study attributes lower costs to competition between businesses that cater to upper-income people.

April 24, 2013 - The New York Times

Play Planner With Auckland Growth Simulator

In a quest to develop a plan to house the additional 1 million people expected to grow New Zealand's largest city in the next 30 years, Auckland is asking residents to submit ideas by using a "housing simulator" game.

April 23, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

How Housing Speculation Became an American Pastime

Speculation about property values is as old as the U.S. itself, but it used to be much more localized, explains Robert Shiller, Yale economist. Is the recent housing roller coaster likely to repeat itself in the future?

April 22, 2013 - New York Times

Federal Law Change Pays Dividends for NYC Co-Op Residents

Offsetting property taxes and maintenance fees, newly authorized market-rate ground floor retail provides a lucrative source of income for co-op owners in NYC.

April 16, 2013 - New York Times

Olympics Earn a Gold Medal in Displacement

Lawrence Vale and Annemarie Gray compare the cases of communities displaced by the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where redevelopment for the 2016 Games is underway, and Atlanta, 20 years ago.

April 16, 2013 - Places Journal

Socially Conscious Developers Build a Bastion of Affordability in Philly

Inga Saffron reports on the redevelopment of a 19th-century brick mill into workforce housing in Philadelphia's South Kensington neighborhood; a project that proves virtue need not come at the expense of profit for one Philadelphia-based developer.

April 16, 2013 - philly.com

San Francisco Homeless

How Middle-Class Anti-Gentrifiers Obscure San Francisco's True Problems

In San Francisco, the relatively affluent are vocal in their denunciation of the "gentrifying" effects of the more affluent. This debate clouds the city's fundamental problems in housing its poor and working class residents, says Ilan Greenberg.

April 15, 2013 - The New Republic

Will Increasing Density Allow Houston to Better House its Middle Class?

In order to facilitate the construction of more workforce housing, Houston is considering changing its development rules for the first time in 14 years. Will increasing density limits in the "doughnut" beyond Loop 610 help bring down prices?

April 15, 2013 - Houston Chronicle

Hoping to Land Public Housing in D.C.? Be Ready to Wait 39 Years

On Friday, the D.C. Housing Authority mercifully closed its insultingly long public housing waiting list. With the average rent at $1,759/month for a one-bedroom apartment, the need for affordable housing in the city is tremendous.

April 14, 2013 - The Washington Post

Variety of Rebuilding Approaches Befuddle Sandy Victims

The lack of a single strategy for how to protect the areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy from future storms leaves residents to choose between two unappealing options: rebuild in place and risk future disaster or abandon their neighborhoods.

April 9, 2013 - Bloomberg

Parsing Margaret Thatcher's Architectural Legacy

According to Anna Winston, the former prime minister's impact on the architecture profession was huge. With the redevelopment of Canary Wharf, for example, her administration gave a leg up to Cesar Pelli, Sir Norman Foster and SOM, among others.

April 9, 2013 - Building Design

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?

April 8, 2013 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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.

April 6, 2013 - The Washington Post

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.

April 6, 2013 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Ocean Grove Sidewalk

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.

April 5, 2013 - Eric C.Y. Fang

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