Housing

Pop Up Plaza in Louisville

Part Two: Should MoMA Tout Tactical Urbanism(s) as a Solution to Uneven Growth?

The second and final post about MoMa's exhibit, "Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Expanding Megacities."

February 13, 2015 - Mike Lydon

Op-Ed: New York's Affordable Housing More Corrupt than Helpful

A columnist takes the recent scandal involving disgraced former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as a particularly heinous example of how far astray affordable housing policy is from its intended goal.

February 12, 2015 - Real Clear Policy

Vancouver Skyline

Supply and Demand Denialism

Some progressives deny that the law of supply and demand applies to housing.

February 10, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Renters Predominate in Low-Cost and High-Cost Cities

A report by New York University’s Furman Center found that renters made up the majority of households in nine of the 11 largest cities in the U.S. in 2013, up from five in 2006. The demand is straining the supply of rental housing.

February 10, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

Salt Lake City Launches '5,000 Doors' Initiative for Affordable Housing

Over a quarter of families in Salt Lake City pay half their income on rent, and between 2000 and 2011, median home values increased by 47 percent.

February 10, 2015 - Next City

How New York's Luxury Housing Market Stashes Anonymous Foreign Wealth

The New York Times ran a massive feature documenting the rise of foreign real estate investment in New York City, enabled by the anonymity of limited liability corporations.

February 9, 2015 - The New York Times

Safety of 'Lightweight Wood Construction' in Question after Massive Fire

A catastrophic event in Edgewater, New Jersey, in which a 408-unit apartment complex was gutted by fire, has inspired legislators to propose a moratorium on the materials and practices of "light frame construction."

February 6, 2015 - The Record

Poll: San Francisco Loves the Tech Industry

San Francisco Mayor Ed lee is so far running unopposed for re-election next Fall, which means that voters won't be offered a chance for a referendum on his support for the tech industry.

February 4, 2015 - San Francisco

Mayor de Blasio Stresses Affordable Housing in State of the City Address

In his State of the City Address on Feb. 3, the New York City mayor made it clear that his overriding priority is affordable housing. He targeted six neighborhoods in all five boroughs where development will be required to include affordable housing.

February 4, 2015 - New York Observer

New York Homeless Population Grows Amid Shortage of Services

The New York Daily News focuses on the de Blasio Administration's efforts to combat a growing number of homeless in New York City.

February 2, 2015 - New York Daily News

St. Petersburg a Top Draw for Millennial Job Seekers

Most of Florida has a reputation as the place northeasterners go to retire. A new study from NerdWallet, however, points out the best places to look in the state if you're young and looking to start a career.

February 2, 2015 - Tampa Bay Times

Survey: NIMBYism Declining as a Result of the U.K. Housing Crisis

A newly released report from a U.K. housing non-profit reports a "Staggering turn-around" in attitudes about housing—more specifically described as a sharp decline in NIMBYism.

January 30, 2015 - Shelter

Bringing the Rural Housing Crisis to Light

Advocates for housing and quality of life in rural communities face an uphill battle in gaining attention, much less funding, to fight the problem.

January 29, 2015 - The Atlantic

Inequality and Informality in New York

For a MoMA exhibition about urban inequality, Brooklyn architects SITU Studios documented informal housing in New York.

January 29, 2015 - Arup Connect

Tent Cities Proposed for Homeless in Seattle

The mayor and City Council of Seattle will consider a controversial measure to combat its surging homeless population.

January 26, 2015 - ThinkProgress

More Details on the End of Architecture for Humanity

Following the recent news that Architecture for Humanity shut its doors after operating since 1999, FastCo.Design provides more details about what went wrong.

January 26, 2015 - Fast Co. Design

Community Gardens are Collateral Damage in New York's Affordable Housing Plans

Here's a head scratcher: in its ambition to meet the affordable housing goals of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development has proposed the redevelopment of 15 community gardens on city-owned property.

January 24, 2015 - Brownstoner

How California's Cap-and-Trade Will Fund Affordable Housing

The innovative revenue stream known as California's cap-and-trade program is ready to take action by funding affordable housing projects.

January 24, 2015 - LA.Streetsblog

Empire State Building Base

High-Rises and Streetlife

The common claim that "high-rises kill streetlife" is often incorrect.

January 23, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Does Limiting Rowhouse Expansions Preserve, or Prevent, Affordable Housing?

The Washington D.C. Zoning Commission is considering a proposal to limit the ability to convert or expand rowhouses. The proposed ordinance has provoked controversy about the effect of the law for the city's supply of housing.

January 22, 2015 - Washington City Paper

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.