Housing
Market Crash Leaves L.A. Flush With High-Priced Plots
Bought at the height of the real estate market and intended for conversion into high-priced luxury apartment buildings, empty plots of land are littered throughout Los Angeles, undeveloped and quietly back on the market at greatly reduced prices.
Communicating Codes Through Song
When working a charrette in Jamaica, architect Steve Mouzon inadvertently inspired local children to set a recommendation for urban farming to song.
Green Building Flourishes in New Orleans
With more than 500 energy-efficient homes with environmentally friendly features are being built in New Orleans. This rise in green building is being called one of the positive legacies of Hurricane Katrina.
Despite Growing Population, Number of Households Falls
The United States population is on the rise, but the number of households within the U.S. is falling. Many link the drop to the downturn in the economy.
Ahead of World Cup, Cape Town Shack Dwellers Relocated
Slum dwellers in the suburbs of Cape Town have been forcefully relocated to a shack housing complex out of town -- and out of sight of the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to descend on the city for this year's soccer World Cup.
Following Through on Affordable Housing Mandate
Westchester County, NY has a mandate to spread its affordable housing into wealthier neighborhoods instead of just clumping it in poorer ones. But making it happen is a challenge.
A NYC Housing Code Rarely Enforced - Fortunately
Fortunately for the unrelated roommates, that is, because in NYC the housing code prohibits more than three to live under the same roof. By one estimate, that would make at least 15,000 units illegal. This article looks at several of them.
Las Vegas Residents Want Out
A recent survey from UNLV suggests that 40% of the residents of the Las Vegas metropolitan area would prefer to leave the state.
The De-Evolution of a Suburban Gated Community
Inside this gated community in the L.A. suburb of Hemet, the recession is taking a tough toll and making life difficult for the families that had moved there for quiet calm.
A Toolkit to Improve the Slums of Brazil
Brazilian slums represent huge segments of the country's urban population, especially in Sao Paulo. Upgrading them into economically sustainable segments of the city is a challenge, but a new toolkit offers a path to success.
Development in Cities Outpaces 'Burbs
Development is occurring more rapidly in urban centers than in the suburbs, according to a new study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Affordable Housing for Tel Aviv
The Tel Aviv Municipality has approved a plan to create affordable housing units in the city, making it the first Israeli city to do so.
Regional Housing Plan Trumps Growth Control Ordinances
A court has ruled that, contrary to its zoning laws, the bedroom community of Pleasanton must add more bedrooms. The ruling wipes out local, voter-approved growth control ordinances.
New Obama Plan to Save Homeowners from Foreclosure
The new plan includes controversial ideas like moving underwater homeowners to government-backed FHA loans and giving grace periods to unemployed owners.
Expanding or Shrinking Your House at Will
The Klip House is a series of modular, prefab units that can be clipped together much like the binding on a ski boot, allowing homeowners to lease or own the home parts they need for their stage in life, then upgrade or downgrade when necessary.
HUD Findings Support Housing the Homeless
The results from HUD's first study on the costs of services to the homeless finds that securing and subsidizing rental housing for the homeless is more cost-effective than emergency homeless shelters.
Do Housing Tax Credits Create Jobs?
With Gov. Schwarzenegger promising $200 million in tax credits to homebuyers, Paul Shigley says it's worth looking closely at the promises that such credits create new jobs and bolster the economy.
Land Use Success and Failure in Two Florida Towns
This post from NRDC's Kaid benfield compares the two Florida cities of Lehigh Acres and Venice, where land use decisions created one city doomed to fail and another that's on a fast rise.
Detroit Mayor Makes Big Plans in State of City Speech
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing recently delivered his first "state of the city" speech since taking office, and included a broad list of proposals that could bring about a widespread revisioning of the struggling city.
Portland's New Complex Aims At Curing Homelessness
The city of Portland is moving ahead with a $47 million shelter and services project known as the Resource Access Center. It's the largest efforts underway to solve the city's notorious homelessness problem.
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
