Housing
Curitiba Fails to Keep Up With its Vaunted Reputation
The waning popularity of its transportation system and the lack of attention to its lower-income population has put Curitiba’s “reputation as an urban planning model” on the line.
Doing it Anyway: How Nonprofits are Tackling the Challenge of Scattered-Site Rentals
Scattered-site rental management is something nonprofits have long found to be a challenge. But there are ways of pulling it off, and those who have done it tell Shelterforce how, and why it’s worth it.
In S.F., it's Tech Companies In and Diversity Out
Twitter’s move into San Francisco this month is part of a new trend of tech companies setting up in the city, causing rents to skyrocket, and forcing lower-income residents out.
Rise in Home Rentals Is Transforming a Neighborhood Near You
Julie Schmit explores what the "unprecedented" growth in the single-family home rental market means for home builders, school districts, and the consumer economy.
Revitalization's Best Friend
Marissa Gluck attributes downtown L.A.'s resurgence to some unlikely community development partners - our four-legged friends.
The History of the American House, In Five Rooms
Amanda Kolson Hurley reviews the ambitious exhibit House and Home, on view at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.
Lamenting Toronto's Missing Middle
Christopher Hume surveys Toronto's "mid-rise crisis" and asks why the city has made it nearly impossible to build "the urban residential form par excellence."
Can Nonprofits Tap Into the $17.5 billion Market in Distressed Mortgages?
The sale of distressed mortgages is far less publicized than talk of the market for foreclosed properties. But these loans are being actively traded—in 2011 this activity included 149,000 loans which translates to roughly $26 billion in trades.
McMansions: They're Baaack
Well that didn't take long. After falling out of favor during the economic downturn, AnnaMaria Andriotis examines how the rise in new home sales is being driven in part by demand for those maligned symbols of conspicuous consumption.
Is George Lucas Inciting Class Warfare With a Proposed Development?
Norimitsu Onishi describes a feud ripe for the pages of a Hollywood script, between movie mogul George Lucas and his wealthy neighbors over his plans to build affordable housing in Marin County.
The "Crazy Days" of Homeownership Are Over - But That's a Good Thing
Sara Robinson explains how the historical view of American homeownership -- that of a life-long commitment to place and "housey goodness" with no expectation of financial gain -- may be coming back.
Thirty-Four Bold Ideas for Transforming Toronto
The Grid solicited ideas from some of Toronto's smartest people for how to make the city better, no matter what the cost or feasibility. David Topping and Katie Underwood deliver the inventive results.
Is Neighborhood Activism Stifling Community Planning?
Roger Valdez gives his take on the new obstructionism that is dominating public participation and holding up much-needed growth in Seattle and elsewhere.
San Francisco Emerges From a Housing Slump
John Wildermuth discusses San Francisco's bounce back from a tremendous slowdown in new housing construction last year.
The Changing Tastes of the 55+ Housing Market
Jill P. Capuzzo describes the shift in consumer demand for different amenities in homes targeted for the 55+ market, and how loosening age and cost limitations have helped such developments survive in a segment hit especially hard by the downturn.
After the Crash: How Will People Live and Spend in the New Economy?
Kathleen Madigan takes a look at new research that considers the shift in America's living situations, and what it means for consumer behavior.
Quality of Place Trumps Density, says Richard Florida
Ten years after publishing of The Rise of the Creative Class, the prominent city-booster says high-rises are “vertical suburbs” and we need “urban environments that stir the spirit.”
The Housing Market Revolution
Haya El Nasser describes the housing market's fundamental structural changes as the housing industry rethinks what type of housing to build and where to build it.
Top 10 Websites - 2012
Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.
Where Should You Take Your Diploma?
Just graduated? For the 60% of you who won't be moving back home, Richard Florida examines the best places for college grads to find jobs, housing, friends, and a little spending money.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
