Housing
Federal Rule Change Could Spur More Mixed-Use Development
A change made last month in the regulations concerning which buildings the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) judges to be eligible for financing could enable the construction of more mixed-use walkable developments, reports Angie Schmitt.
Could Tax Reform Prevent Gentrifying Effects of TOD?
Jeff Jamawat looks at the promise of a nuanced approach to tax reform being tested in 17 local jurisdictions in Pennsylvania to head off the spiral of rising prices and displacement instigated by the construction of transit infrastructure.
Did Banks Engage in Reverse-Redlining While Inflating the Housing Bubble?
A lawsuit filed this week against Morgan Stanley claims that the predatory lending practices that grew the housing bubble violated federal civil rights laws, an ironic echo of a time when housing policies prevented blacks from obtaining mortgages.
Where are America's Most Expensive Zip Codes?
There's been a change at the top of Forbes' annual list of America's most expensive zip codes, writes Morgan Brennan. For the first time ever, a neighborhood in New York City tops the list.
Norwegian Architects Honored for Defying Architectural Norms
Young architectural firm, TYIN Tegnestue, proves that good design can be affordable, and that architecture can be used to help solve some of the world's existing social ills, rather than exacerbating them, writes Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan.
Constructing a Homebuilding Revolution - Brick by Brick
Is Clay Chapman the Joel Salatin of homebuilding? At $80/SF for a custom, multi-century, structural masonry and timber frame home, he just might be. Scott Doyon enumerates the similarities, and challenges others to get involved.
Understanding the Importance of Place to the Creative Class
Richard Florida discusses why "quality of place", rather than job opportunity, is the determining factor in where creative-minded people choose to live.
Outdated Law Prevents NYC from Cashing In on Luxury Apartments
A New York state law on the books since the 1980s undervalues property tax rates on multimillion dollar residential buildings, providing astonishing discounts to New York City’s wealthiest homeowners.
Is Public Land the Key to Solving D.C.'s Affordability Crisis?
A new report argues that city-owned lands must be leveraged to increase D.C.'s stock of affordable housing, and indicts Mayor Gray's administration for not doing enough to keep up with increasing demand.
Radical Plan Goes Small, Not Big, to Densify Raleigh
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan discusses the plan put forth by three Raleigh architects to densify the city's pre-existing residential neighborhoods by creating a new RA-50 or "Alley Residential" zoning classification.
New Small Lot Housing Development in L.A. Asks: 'How Dense Can You Go?'
An enterprising developer and experimental architect are pushing the boundaries between L.A.'s suburban style of single-family housing and its need for dense infill development on a site in the city's Echo Park neighborhood.
Aging in 'Connected' Places
Ben Brown argues that design adaptations intended to accommodate America's swelling senior population by "aging in place" will be unable, on their own, to meet the challenge. He looks at one model of support that goes beyond universal design.
Could Residences Soon Be Found in the Shadow of the National Mall?
A 22 acre parcel of federal buildings located within spitting distance of the National Mall could transform the heart of the Nation's Capital, as the GSA seeks ideas from developers on how to use its many current and soon-to-be abandoned buildings.
The New Breed of Public-Interest Designers
An emerging field of public interest design embeds architects and designers in communities that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford good design.
Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Move South and Buy LA's Luxury Housing
The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing numbers of technology entrepreneurs who are buying luxury homes in beachfront areas around Los Angeles, earning the stretch from Santa Monica to Playa Vista the name "Silicon Beach".
The New Model for Low-Income Housing
San Francisco's new experiment in low-income housing is a beautiful one; a new building combines eye-popping design and amenities you wish you had.
The Great Brooklyn Bait-and-Switch
No one should be surprised that at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards site, nothing is, or ever will be, as promised, writes columnist Roberta Brades Gratz.
New Report Taps TOD to Provide L.A.'s Workforce Housing
UCLA's Paul Habibi believes that L.A.'s lack of affordable workforce housing, the "donut hole" between subsidized housing and high-end housing preferred by developers, is harming the city's competitiveness. In a new report he outlines a solution.
The Epitome of Community Within a Los Angeles Housing Complex
Park La Brea, the nation's largest housing complex west of the Mississippi, like much of Los Angeles, has changed dramatically over the decades. Yet, an overwhelming sense of community and identity has endured.
San Francisco Puts Affordable Housing Up For a Vote
Boasting some of the highest housing prices in the country, and rising, San Francisco is in desperate need of affordable housing. This November, the city's voters will have a chance to try to remedy the situation with two ballot measures.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
