Housing
Land Trusts: the Middle Ground of Housing
The Boston Globe recently ran an op-ed in support of community land trusts and inclusionary housing, which was penned by the National Housing Institute/Shelterforce and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Who's Right in the Informal Housing Debate?
When Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan P. Bell wrote about informal housing in the region, several commenters responded. So Bell decided to answer questions and critics.
Can a Net Zero Cottage Work in the Suburbs?
In its first year alone, Zero Cottage has produced 22 percent more energy than it consumes. But can such an urban project be replicated in a suburban setting?
An Unintended Consequence of Unbundling Parking from Housing
Transportation and affordable housing advocates advocate unbundling parking from housing to provide an incentive to own fewer vehicles while reducing housing costs and increasing supply. But should parcel taxes be applied to parking spaces?
Does Airbnb Impact the Affordable Housing Market?
Michelle Cohen discusses whether or not companies like Airbnb, which provide platforms for room and house-sharing aimed at travelers, impact a city's affordable housing market.
Converting Single Room Occupancy Hotels to Market Rate Apartments
Emily Badger discusses a phenomenon of gentrification in Chicago: former single room occupancy hotels, historically reserved for low-income housing, are being converted into market-rate rentals.
The Undeniable Urbanism of the 'Plot'
According to researchers and practitioners in the United Kingdom, there's still room for another urbanism. Chuck Wolfe digests the recent Summit on Plot-Based Urbanism from Glasgow.
China Filling 'Ghost City' with Rural Farmers
In a bid to urbanize its vast interior, China plans to settle one of its vast pre-built cities with workers unused to city life. Upon arrival, they undergo training to become instant urbanites.
Explained: Vacancies, Population Decline, and the Importance of Household Size
Jason Segedy has published a long, brutally frank look at blight and vacant properties, especially at the underappreciated culprit for the woes of so many shrinking cities around the Rust Belt: household decline.
Where and Why 'Not In Their Backyard' Becomes a Rallying Cry
We've all heard about NIMBY politics, but what about NITBY? What would prompt some people to adopt a "Not In Their Backyard" stance?
Housing Market Makes Full Recovery for Wealthy Americans
Dina ElBoghdady and Dan Keating report on the state of the real estate market as it concerns the wealthiest Americans—times are good if you are wealthy and looking to borrow money to buy a home.
San Francisco Voters Increase Height Limits for Waterfront Development
Voters gave Forest City Enterprises' Pier 70 development the go-ahead on Tuesday by increasing height limits from 40 to 90 feet. The 65-acre property will be developed into mixed use, with 2,000 housing units, 30 percent affordable, and open space.
HUD Report: Progress in the Fight Against Homelessness
The Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress shows substantial decreases in the number of homeless this year, especially homeless veterans.
Working Adults More Likely to Live with Roommates
Recent data by Zillow suggests that we might all soon be living like the Golden Girls (original author's joke).
When Nuisance Suits Are a Nuisance
In one Texas case, homeowners are suing a new apartment building for nuisance. If such suits become common, infill development will become less common, causing higher rents and more citywide vehicle traffic.
How Affordable Housing Can Compete
With the backing of powerful nonprofit and for-profit investors, the Housing Partnership Equity Trust is making waves with its triple bottom line approach to affordable housing. More importantly, it’s making money.
Explaining the Country's Worst Rental Market
A recent study reveals that Los Angeles is the least affordable city in the country. The incentives of homeowners all but ensure that the city will never have a mandate to increase its housing supply and restore health to the city's economy.
Are Single Family Teardowns a Sign of Suburban Gentrification?
Luxury condos are often identified as the culprit in urban gentrification, but could it be that teardowns of single family homes that give way to much larger single family homes is a driver of suburban gentrification?
The Federal Housing Administration's Ongoing, Systematic Obstruction of Density
Scott Beyer writes that despite changes to policies allowing insured mortgages by the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA), the federal government continues to obstruct density by limiting support for condo owners.
Generation X Leads the Decline of Homeownership
A snarky post written for The Atlantic identifies a forgotten culprit in the country's dropping homeownership rates: Generation X.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
