Housing
Are Small Apartments Hazardous to Your Health?
The growing trend in "micro" living seeks to fill a need for affordable housing in dense and desirable urban environments. But what are the downsides to living in such small spaces? Health experts are raising red flags.
Developers Target Ultra-Luxury Renters in Los Angeles
In a city known for luxuriously appointed and boldly designed single-family homes, an unlikely market for super-deluxe residences is growing. "Over-the-top" apartments attract residents who want an urban lifestyle without a long-term commitment.
Canadian Social Housing Vulnerable as Federal Funding Disappears
Low-income Canadians who depend on subsidized housing will face uncertainty in the coming years as federal funding agreements come to a close. Ottawa has, as of yet, no plans to renew them.
You're Paying for Parking, Whether You Use It or Not
Think you’re not paying for parking because you opted out of renting a space in your apartment complex’s garage? Think again.
New Report Recommends a Regional Solution to S.F.'s Affordability Crisis
Could Silicon Valley play a key role in alleviating San Francisco's growing affordability crisis? That's among the suggestions put forth in a new report from SPUR that outlines specific ways that San Jose could attract young professionals.
Developer Buys Affordable Housing Complex in D.C....to Preserve It?
The Rose Green Cities Fund has purchased an affordable housing complex in a gentrifying area of D.C., not to capitalize on rising prices but to protect affordable ones. Unlikely, you say? The Fund's mission is to preserve affordable housing.
Top 10 Books - 2014
Planetizen is pleased to release its twelfth annual list of the ten best books in urban planning, design and development published in 2013.
See, You Really Can Build Urban Housing Without Parking
New apartment developments are popping up in cities like Boston, Seattle, and Miami without one key feature: on-site parking. These projects prove that providing parking isn't necessary to lure residents, even in cities not named New York.
What to Expect from the New "Most Powerful Man in Housing"
After a protracted fight, the Senate has finally confirmed Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. What direction will he steer the United States' housing finance system?
Rising Rents Burden Record Number of Americans
Rising rents, stagnant incomes and the effects of the recession have pushed a record number of Americans to take on hazardous housing cost burdens, says a new report. Low-income renters are especially vulnerable.
Miami Becomes Safe Harbor for Cash and Celebrity Architecture
Rowan Moore looks at the multiple layers that are conspiring to make a maturing Miami the "new Most Exciting City in America". Diverse cultural offerings and branded architecture are attracting international investors.
Recovering Housing Market Gets Smart
As the housing market recovers, are we back to the McMansion-binges of the 2000s? Or, are we growing just a little bit smarter?
Downtown L.A.'s Residential Revolution
A plan to build 1,500 rental apartments where six parking lots now sit is just the latest sign of the insatiable demand for housing gripping downtown Los Angeles.
Canadian Home Affordability Declines
New research by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) indicates that the percentage of average household income required to cover home payments has increased in the last two quarters as a result of both higher prices and interest rates.
In Sign of Improving U.S. Housing Sector, Building Permits Hit 5-Year High
New data from the Commerce Department reveals that more than 1 million residential building permits were issued last month. Though construction activity has reached a 5-year high, economists caution that other data indicates rates are slowing.
30 Examples of Public Housing at its Best
At its best, public housing shouldn't just provide a roof and four walls, but utilize creative design to make low-cost buildings feel like high-quality homes. These 30 projects from across the world have found unique ways to meet that challenge.
De Blasio Tax Hike Aims to Turn Speculators into Developers
A plan to eliminate a tax loophole on more than 10,500 vacant lots across New York City could help contribute to the mayor-elect's affordable housing goals.
Blame Single-Family Neighborhoods for Gentrification
What's so special about single-family homes that we'd rather preserve them than prevent the displacement and financial distress of thousands of low- and moderate-income renters?
San Francisco's Crisis of Affluence
The booming tech industry has brought economic development to the Bay Area. But lavish lifestyles, astronomical housing prices, and rising evictions has put the industry in the crosshairs of a very public backlash. Can the city broker peace?
The Enduring Allure of the Single-Family Home
Another of those highly-cited surveys of the living preferences of Americans is out and it finds support for (somewhat contradictory) elements of both smart growth and suburban development patterns.
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
