Housing

Healthy Homes: The Latest Luxury Extravagance

Come September, for tens of millions of dollars, you can be the owner of the latest in healthy living - a "WELL-certified condominium" - which promises to deliver improved air, water, light, sleep, energy and nutrition.

July 1, 2013 - The New York Times

America's Unequal Housing Recovery

Home prices are rising throughout the U.S., signaling a sustained recovery of the housing market. But declining homeownership rates and record levels of burdensome housing costs point to a recovery that's only benefiting some Americans.

June 27, 2013 - Housing Perspectives

Can Mobile Homes Help Solve America's Affordability Crisis?

Homeownership is slipping out of reach for many Americans, caused largely by the lack of affordable housing inventory. There is a solution to the inventory shortage that many buyers, advocates and policymakers are overlooking: Manufactured Housing.

June 27, 2013 - Rooflines

Red or Blue, States Demand Walkable Urbanism

A new study by the Sonoran Institute finds unmet demand for walkable neighborhoods in the western American states of Idaho, Montana and Colorado. In these states, houses in walkable areas sell for markedly more than in sprawling areas.

June 27, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Why Developer Overconfidence May be Good for D.C. Renters

After years of dramatically rising rents, relief for D.C.'s renters may have finally arrived. A weakened local economy combined with a glut of new properties on the market (and more coming) will lead to more leasing discounts for area residents.

June 26, 2013 - The Washington Post

Report Questions Value of Energy Benchmarking

The premise behind the energy benchmarking laws found in many cities is that they will induce owners to increase the efficiency of their buildings. But a new report questions whether the investment in data collection leads to changes in energy use.

June 26, 2013 - Governing

Housing Price Increases in Urban Areas Outpace Suburbs

As we've heard recently, home prices are on the rise throughout the United States. New research from Jed Kolko shows that increases are particularly acute in areas with high rises, multi-family housing, and a diversity of residents.

June 25, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Home For Sale Signs

Don't Count on a Millennial to Buy Your Suburban Home

James Briggs speaks for his Millennial generation cohorts when he outlines the many reasons why unloading that suburban home on young buyers will be a hard sell.

June 25, 2013 - Baltimore Business Journal

Three Decades After His Death, Pioneering Architect Remains L.A.'s Hottest Designer

Lauren Beale looks at the work of pioneering architect Paul Revere Williams, the first African American fellow of the American Institute of Architects, whose luxury homes designed for some of L.A.'s most prestigious residents remain in high demand.

June 24, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Latest Housing Trend: Luxury Yards

Apparently a pool, barbecue, and some lounge chairs is no longer enough for an elegant backyard. Full kitchens, movie theaters, bathtubs, and even air conditioning are among the items being integrated into luxury outdoor rooms.

June 24, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

It's Time to Turn Back the Clock on Slum Upgrading

In the 1970s and 80s, bottom-up slum upgrading schemes inspired by the ideas of British-born architect James F.C. Turner benefited tens of thousands of residents of Mumbai. Current policies incentivize top-down redevelopment, harming slum dwellers.

June 21, 2013 - Next City

University Housing: Bastion of Communal Learning or Luxury Resort?

John Eligon examines the private student housing building boom, and asks whether we are spoiling college students with luxurious off-campus amenities to the detriment of academic and social environments.

June 19, 2013 - The New York Times

Has Toronto Built Too Much Too Fast?

As Toronto's condo building boom has transformed the city, it's also helped to transform Canada's housing market. There are warning signs, however, that a surplus of housing in the city threatens to destabilize Canada's entire economy.

June 17, 2013 - CBC News

Hong Kong Towers

The Case for Hyperdensity

On Places, Vishaan Chakrabarti argues that the hyperdense city is more prosperous, equitable, ecological and delightful — and vital to America's strength as a nation.

June 16, 2013 - Places Journal

Sequester Cuts Menace New York's Most Vulnerable Residents

A looming $205 million budget shortfall due to sequester-related federal funding cuts have the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) preparing to make drastic cuts to staff and programs.

June 13, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

Suburban Poor? Are You Sure?

Brookings Institute's “Confronting Suburban Poverty” is generating a lot of buzz. Community development leaders and planners took to Rooflines to voice opinions and critiques of the book, moving its authors to submit a response that you must read.

June 12, 2013 - Rooflines

Housing Discrimination Prevalent in the U.S., But Difficult to Detect

A report published this week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development concludes that although it is less blatant than in the past, discrimination against minorities persists in the selling, buying and renting of homes.

June 12, 2013 - The Washington Post

Cities Struggle to Maintain Affordable Housing Near Transit

In Seattle, and elsewhere, city leaders are struggling to maintain the supply of affordable housing in close proximity to transit stations. Rising rents in areas near stops are displacing lower-income residents.

June 12, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Finding Room for a Million More New Yorkers

New York City's population is expected to grow by one million residents by 2040. But where can housing be built to accommodate all these new residents? A new report from a Columbia University think tank identifies the most promising candidates.

June 11, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Big Egos and Fat Wallets Drive New York Skyscraper Boom

The Empire State Building's place in New York City's skyline is set to be challenged by several new residential towers, as the city experiences a height hysteria not seen since the heady days of the late 1920s.

June 10, 2013 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.