Housing
Game Changer for Housing Nonprofits: REITs
Tired of not closing deals to preserve affordable housing due to delays in public financing, the nonprofit Housing Partnership Network created a real estate investment trust. The results have been "game changing."
Are Social and Economic Justice Planning Outcomes?
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Planning Commission Chair Carl Weisbrod while promising planning decisions that produce economic and social justice benefits. The question is to what degree planning can influence those outcomes.
New Study Claims Airbnb Is Fudging Its Numbers
Airbnb, arguably the most famous symbol of the sharing economy, has a court date with the New York State Attorney General in March. Meanwhile, a new report has evidence that Airbnb is fudging its numbers relevant to a key issue in the case.
Overcoming the Myths of the Rental Housing Market
A recent study called “America’s Rental Housing: Evolving Markets and Needs” by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard smashes myths about the rental market—of particular importance given the recent rise in rents around the country.
Americans and Dream Homes—A Love Story
Realtor.com has conducted a survey on the characteristics and trends in that feeling familiar to many a house hunter—falling in love with the perfect house. Yes, a “home crush” is a thing.
How Co-ops Preserve Affordable Housing In Changing Neighborhoods
Tenant-owned apartment buildings are rare in the District of Columbia, but are a key tool in preserving affordable homes in our quickly growing city. Here, a look at two--and one group that helps make them happen.
Condo Developers Respond to Demand for Dog Amenities
As Toronto's condo-boom continues, condo buyers and councillors alike are calling for developments to be designed with canines in mind. Developers are now looking to include amenities like “pet spas” and rooftop 'dog runs' in their developments.
How Utah Could End Homelessness by 2015
By implementing a rational, structured policy of providing free apartments for the homeless, the state of Utah has greatly reduced its homeless population and is on pace to eradicate it completely by 2015.
Location Optimization Tools: Toward More Comprehensive and Multi-Modal Indicators
New tools are becoming available to help people evaluate the quality of walking, cycling, public transit and automobile accessibility when making home location decisions. This information can help create more efficient and sustainable communities.
Dream vs. Reality for Home Ownership in Canada
As housing prices increase on the post-recession wave, many experts are asking people to reconsider the dream of buying and owning a home, especially if that means sinking too deeply in debt or sacrificing mobility.
Behind the Scenes of Philly's New Land Bank Law
In Philadelphia, an alliance of unusual suspects worked together to convince the city to create the land bank. The law isn't perfect but the new land bank will significantly improve the city’s vacant property process.
Buyers Feel at Home in "New Old Houses"
Even if the average size of a new home in the U.S. is creeping back up after taking a promising dip during the recession, trophy McMansions are out as home buyers seek designs that blend traditional home styles with modern floor plans and amenities.
Professionals Priced Out of Hot Detroit Neighborhoods
As unbelievable as it may sound in a city with tens of thousands of vacant properties, young professionals are being priced out of popular Detroit neighborhoods like Midtown and Corktown as demand far exceeds supply.
(A Lot) More Homebuyers Paying Cash
Interest rates on mortgages increased over the summer, and lenders are still holding back on loans, but the cause of the surge in all-cash home sales is a cause for concern for the long-term health of the housing market.
How Realistic are de Blasio's Affordable Housing Goals?
Mayor de Blasio's goal of building or preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years goes beyond what previous mayors have been able to achieve. How realistic are his chances of reaching this "lofty goal"?
Ellis Act or Airbnb—Which to Blame in S.F. Housing Crisis?
A closer look at the number of Ellis Act evictions indicates that the controversial law that allows property owners to evict rental tenants might be more of a symptom of San Francisco’s housing problem, rather than the problem itself.
Has Social Design's Most Prominent Experiment Succeeded?
Auburn University's Rural Studio program and other designers from across the U.S. have descended on Hale County, Alabama for two decades in an effort to improve the quality of life for the rural area's residents. What have they achieved?
Colorado Foreclosures Hit Ten-Year Low
Foreclosures, the defining signifier of the Great Recession for many Americans, are coming to a screeching halt in Colorado. In fact, the state’s foreclosure rate improved at about twice the national average between 2012 and 2013.
Affordable Housing Is Two Separate Issues
The policies that create affordable housing for the middle class might not be those necessary to prevent homelessness for the destitute.
S.F. Politicos Pitch Housing Crisis Measures
A trio of elected officials—Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor Scott Weiner, and Supervisor Eric Mar—have proposed policy measures to alleviate the housing affordability crisis in San Francisco.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
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
