Housing
Apartments In East Harlem Left Empty for Decades
Revitalization has come to East Harlem, but a number of apartment buildings are left vacant by their owners until they can be turned over or the market recovers enough for higher rents.
Grim Figures for Areas of Concentrated Poverty
A new Brookings Institution report shows that places of concentrated poverty are getting worse due to unsustained growth nationwide and the suburbanization of poverty. Authors Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube expound on the findings.
Apartments to be Razed for Athletic Complex
As part of a larger parks plan, one Atlanta suburb wants to use its bonds to build a sports complex where housing already exists. Adding to the controversy, the idea doesn't seem to have gone through a proper public review. Melissa Weinman reports.
12 Ultra Modern Home Designs
The Web Urbanist counts down twelve of the best ultra modern home designs with a descriptive slideshow.
Cuba Legalizing Private Residential Property
According to Cuba's state-run newspaper, Cubans will be able to buy and sell residential property starting November 10. Damien Cave reports on the "excitement and fear" involved in the creation of a housing market and the future of the cities.
Amsterdam Has Gentrification Problems Too
A new film, "Creativity and the Capitalist City: The Struggle for Affordable Space in Amsterdam", explores the issue of gentrification in the city. polis has a review.
Are Americans Ready to Live in Smaller Homes?
As the world population reaches 7 billion some U.S. builders are working on smaller, compact homes.
Density with Variety
David Baker Architects latest public housing project in Oakland, California shows that high-density living can be attractive and feature a variety of housing types, writes Allison Arieff.
Camden Employers Incentivizing Middle-Class Homeownership
Last week, local officials announced that the troubled city's largest employers, including three hospitals and a university, will begin offering incentives to lure workers into buying homes in the area. Geoff Mulvihill reports.
A New Master-Planned City Would be Impossible, Says Donald Bren
At the Urban Land Institute conference this week, Donald Bren, Chairman of the Irvine Company, cites lack of capital and government and environmental regulation as reasons for this.
27-Story Vertical Forest Under Construction
The Milan apartment building will feature a tree on each balcony, at only 5% of the construction costs. Christopher Woodward takes us deeper into the project and others in the "living architecture" movement.
The Reality TV Approach to Public Participation
Urban planning professors from the University of Kansas suggest that televising community meetings and using techniques from reality TV could significantly increase participation.
Sustainable Homes of the Future at Solar Decathlon
In its 5th year, the Solar Decathlon had submissions from 20 different countries and from schools like SCI-Arc/Caltech's and Appalachian State University, writes Diana Budds for Dwell.
The "Stunning and Tragic" Remains of Pruitt-Igoe
The implosion of the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects is recognized as the moment when modernism died. Sam Jacob is taking university students to the site to observe what has become of the location.
DC Planning Office Seeks To Restrict Georgetown Enrollment
Washington DC's office of planning will begin restricting Georgetown's enrollment if the university does not manage to provide housing for 100% of its undergraduates by 2016.
Homelessness and the Occupy Wall Street Movement
The logistics involved in maintaining the Occupy Wall Street protests turn out to be some of the very activities that homeless people have been banned from doing in most cities for years.
The Second Coming of Marked-Down Detroit
The 2010 Census reveals that Detroit's population is approaching the 1910's level. Of the City's 714,000 residents, 83% are black and nearly 40% live in poverty. With virtually every statistic going against its favor, can Motown make a comeback?
Diverse, But Not Integrated
New York City may be diverse, but it is also one of the most segregated places in the country, and a rash of recent events involving civic employees reflects this. Until this is remedied, New Yorkers "won't have as much to brag about as we think."
In Northern Manhattan, Community Board Nixes High-Rise Apartments
Community board members, representing a traditionally Dominican neighborhood with six- to 10-story buildings, recently rejected one developer's plans for a mixed-income project of 800+ apartments, fearing gentrification and non-contextual development
Does Affordable Housing Have to Look Bad?
Allison Arieff explodes the unspoken myth that public housing must look cheap and unattractive, citing some stellar examples of affordable design.
Pagination
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions