Housing
Fixing Neighborhoods in Savannah
Fast Company released their annual "Fast Cities" issue, featuring 12 cities the editors believe are taking innovative approaches. Savannah, Georgia was chosen for its Neighborhood Renaissance Savannah program, which cleans up abandoned homes.
The One-Two Punch of Job Losses and Falling Home Values
Housing devaluation and job loss are the two major problems affecting America's urban areas. But as this article from Governing explains, those two problems are playing out in drastically different ways from metro to metro.
Lots of Jobs, But No Housing for Workers
North Dakota is undergoing a jobs boom right now, but it doesn't have the housing stock to match the new increase in workers.
Subdivisions Built Around Agriculture
This article from GOOD wonders whether farms could become the new cornerstone amenity in suburban residential communities.
Running Cities Like A Business
Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez writes that the great success of Mayor Bloomberg's PlanNYC is due in large part to a process that borrowed key principles from the business world.
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.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
