Housing

Agency, Developer Wrestle Over Atlantic Yards Affordability

A look at negotiations between developer Forest City Ratner and New York City's Housing and Development Corporation around the Atlantic Yards project shows that there will be less housing units set-aside for low-income families than promised.

September 3, 2012 - The Brooklyn Bureau

Money Versus Public Space in Miami's Booming Brickell Neighborhood

The rapid development of Miami's Brickell neighborhood has left many residents without proper access to open space, a circumstance some are trying to remedy, despite astronomical land costs.

August 30, 2012 - NPR

Housing Comeback Reported in America's Hardest-Hit Cities

The long-awaited recovery of America's housing market, after six years of decline, seems to be gaining traction, with the latest data indicating increasing prices in hard-hit cities like Miami, Atlanta, and Detroit.

August 29, 2012 - The New York Times

How Driving Less and Renting More May Change Our Economy

Two Atlantic editors investigate why the younger generation is not only driving less but also less likely to purchase homes than their baby boomer parents. Is it temporary, a result of a bad economy, or are these behaviors a permanent shift?

August 29, 2012 - The Atlantic (Magazine)

Meeting on Common Ground: Community Development and Health Philanthropy Working Together

Often times, the community development field and health philanthropy have worked in the same neighborhoods, but separately. This is changing, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Marjorie Paloma told Shelterforce how.

August 28, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

Finding Mayor Bloomberg's Fingerprints on a Transformed New York

As the end of the Bloomberg Era in New York draws to a close, The Architect's Newspaper goes agency by agency exploring how the Mayor has steered the forces of NYC real estate to meet goals for a cleaner, greener, and more equitable city.

August 26, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Super Rich Drive Residences to New Heights

The number of super-tall residential buildings continues to grow globally, with top floor residences fetching nine-figure prices. Historically, the world's tallest buildings housed offices.

August 26, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

New Zoning Code Debuts in Philly

This week, Philadelphia officially enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code. City leaders hope the simplified and modernized code will encourage development.

August 24, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

USC's $1.1 Billion Makeover Halted Over Fears of Displacement

A massive $1.1 billion plan to develop residential and retail uses on land adjacent to the University of Southern California's South L.A. campus was halted by a committee of the Los Angeles City Council this week over concerns about displacement.

August 23, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Suburban Canada Dreams of Density

As one of North America's largest suburbs, Mississauga is joining some of its neighbors in the Greater Toronto Area in planning an unprecedented effort to replace its suburban roots with something more urban.

August 23, 2012 - The Globe and Mail

Is There a Link Between Homeownership and Civic Participation?

It has long been assumed by politicians, and others, that homeowners are more likely to invest in contributing to the well-being of their neighborhoods than renters. A new report seems to support those assumptions.

August 22, 2012 - Next American City

Gentrification and Ghettoization a Rising Crisis in Europe's Cities

Harvey Morris surveys recent controversies in France, England, and Germany that have stoked the simmering debate over whether the accelerating gentrification of Europe's major cities is leading to the ghettoization of their urban poor.

August 21, 2012 - The New York Times

How Obama Bungled the Housing Crisis

President Obama can rightfully claim that many of the initiatives his administration pushed through in his first years in office helped reverse the acute economic slide he inherited. His efforts to cleanup the housing crash were far less successful.

August 21, 2012 - The New York Times

Uneven Haitian Rebuild Leaves Many Behind

Despite billions of dollars in reconstruction aid, with no overarching housing policy, Haiti's recovery from a devastating earthquake in 2010 has become a protracted humanitarian crisis, especially for hundreds of thousands remaining in tent cities.

August 20, 2012 - The New York Times

Apartment Building Boom In Portland - Without Auto Parking

OPB investigates the flood of new apartment buildings going up in downtown Portland and finds that two-thirds lack any motor vehicle parking - which is great for renters without cars seeking affordable housing, but can anger the neighbors.

August 19, 2012 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

A Peculiar Chinese Take on Mixed Use

Architizer takes us to the Chinese city of Zhuzhou, where a project featuring residences atop a retail podium stretches the definition of mixed use.

August 18, 2012 - Architizer

Home at Last: Creative Communities Become Their Own Developers

Emily Badger explains how a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization is working to break the cycle of gentrification within artist communities by helping to create and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations.

August 17, 2012 - Fast Company

Could Eminent Domain Offer a Life Raft for 'Underwater' Mortgage Owners?

Amanda Erickson explains how communities could wield the power of eminent domain to rescue residents with "underwater" mortgages, by condemning homes and allowing owners to refinance their mortgages and pay a new, lower rate.

August 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Columbus's Thriving Arts District Goes on Display

Driven by its long-cultivated arts community, development of Columbus, Ohio's Short North neighborhood has defied the economic downturn as investment in the once-downtrodden area continues.

August 11, 2012 - The New York Times

Help's on the Way for D.C.'s Weary Renters

With an astounding 6,000 new rental units due to come on the market in D.C. by the end of the year, the city's renters are about to get a welcome respite, report Brady Dennis and Amrita Jayakumar.

August 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

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.

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