Housing
Realtors Discover Demand for Walkable Places
After generations of sales focused on conventional suburbia, realtors are discovering the demand for walkable, urban places.
Housing is the Key to Family-Friendly Cities
Why housing should take priority in the effort to attract families back to the city (and welcome them to stay awhile).
$1 Large Lot Sales Underway in Chicago
For sale in Chicago for $1: city-owned lots in Southside neighborhoods. The idea, which has been implemented in Chicago before, is to get more land in the hands of neighborhood residents and stakeholders.
The Secret to Community Development Fund Success
Two innovative community development funds are behind big impact on affordable housing in New York and Colorado. Enterprise Community Partners spells out how they're structured, the lessons they've learned, and why it's not that scary.
San Francisco Legalizes Rental of 'In-Law Units'
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted earlier this week to allow property owners to rent “in-law units”—a major policy departure that could add tens of thousands of rental units to the constrained San Francisco real estate market.
Cars Are Key to Reducing Poverty
Many advocates for new ways of thinking about places and streets argue for reduced use of cars as the dominant mode of transportation. A new study finds, however that poverty is improved when the poor have access to a car for transportation.
HUD expected to further ease restrictions on mixed-use financing
The administrative change to follow recent successful FHA standards, according to CNU president John Norquist.
'People Habitat': Kaid Benfield Takes Smart Growth to a Higher Level
Kaid Benfield has a new book out, which Scott Doyon found positively uplifting. In ways beyond what you might be thinking.
Walkability and the Risk of Mortgage Default
A recent study strengthens the economic case for walkable communities, finding a strong inverse relationship between walkscore and risk of mortgage default.
New Study Tests Assumptions About Housing Vouchers and Crime
A new paper published in the Urban Studies journal finds a weak, negative relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates. There is no observable relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates in suburban areas.
Is this Closure? Bank of America Settles with FHFA for $9.3 Billion
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a $9.3 billion settlement with Bank of America following a 2011 suit tied to the bank’s role in selling faulty mortgage-backed securities to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
New Garden City Won't Solve London's Affordable-Housing Problem
London’s contemporary affordable-housing crisis has revived a century-old idea: the garden city.
Which Is the Problem: Affordable Housing or Poverty?
Jonathan Geeting argues that Philadelphia’s recently proposed affordable housing program is focusing on the wrong problem—in Philadelphia, housing is quite affordable, but people are still too poor to afford it.
Bricks or Bullets? Obama Chooses Defense Over Housing
The federal government has largely abdicated its responsibility to build affordable housing. Nowhere is that more clear than in the comparison between President Obama's proposed $6 billion to HUD for housing production and $626 billion for defense.
1,500 Affordable Housing Units Proposed for Philadelphia
The “1,500 New Affordable Housing Units Initiative” would target gentrifying neighborhoods in the hopes of preserving a mix of incomes where housing costs are pricing-out long-term residents.
Massive Public Housing Project Endangered in Los Angeles
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles had been counting on a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods federal grant to help fund a massive makeover for Jordan Downs—one of the most downtrodden sections of Watts in South Los Angeles.
Breaking Down Housing Affordability for Teachers
As coastal real estate markets—especially in California—grow more expensive, it’s harder for teachers to afford a home. A recent article breaks down the affordability of homes for teachers around the country.
What Desert Living Can Teach Designers About Building in Urban L.A.
A visit to Cal-Earth in Hesperia leads aspiring environmental designer Daniel Ebuehi to examine how some aspects of desert living could translate to an urban environment.
Rural Responsibility or Ruin?
The 2015 federal budget proposes a $50 minimum rent on subsidized rural rental housing to encourage “financial responsibility.” Will this really help the rural poor?
Minority Groups Left Out of Housing Recovery
The same minority groups hit hardest by the housing bust are benefiting least during recovery.
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
