Housing

The Mud House Boom and Bust

The housing boom has busted in a tiny village in the West African country of Guinea, where homebuilders had constructed rows of new mud houses in hopes of cashing in on the rising demand for housing and its rising costs. Now, they sit empty.

July 10, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Homelessness is On the Rise in Rural and Suburban Areas

Homelessness has jumped in the nation's suburban areas, according to a study from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of those in U.S. shelters, 32% are in rural or suburban areas.

July 9, 2009 - USA Today

A Bird’s-Eye View of the Foreclosure Crisis

As part of an art exhibition about housing, artist Damon Rich used the Panorama of the City of New York- a 9,000 sq. ft. model- to illustrate the foreclosure crisis.

July 8, 2009 - The New York Times

Post-Katrina, A Neighborhood Changes

The Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans was deluged in the post-Katrina flooding. Today, a new community emerges with traditional renovations living side-by side with unique contemporary buildings.

July 8, 2009 - The Times-Picayune

A Little Too Tough on Blight?

The City of Chula Vista has a highly successful anti-blight ordinance- so successful that some critics say they may actually be delaying the recovery of the local real estate market.

July 8, 2009 - San Diego Union-Tribune

A Look Inside the Busted Building Market

This slideshow from The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the abandoned and stalled buildings form around the country that epitomize the bust of the building market.

July 7, 2009 - The New York Times Magazine

Jerry Brown Sues Suburb Over Housing Element

The CA Attorney General wants cities to take their housing obligations seriously - so much so that he has joined a 2006 lawsuit against the Alameda County suburb of Pleasanton over a 'housing cap' of 29,000 units approved by its voters in 1996.

July 6, 2009 - CBS Broadcasting

Will a "New Direction" in Housing Policy Mean a "Return to Feudalism"?

John Petro counters Joel Kotkin's views that America's post-bubble housing policy should be "a renewed quest for homeownership."

July 2, 2009 - DMIblog

Farming in the Subdivision

Organic farms are increasingly being included in site plans for new subdivisions. And homebuyers seem to like them.

July 2, 2009 - The New York Times

McMansion Demand Nosedives

A survey of architects shows that a very low percentage of Americans are still clamoring for McMansions, indicating what may be a broad shift to smaller homes.

July 2, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Decline in Decline of Housing Market

Yale economist Robert Schiller believes that the housing market is showing signs of improvement. "At this point, people are thinking the fall is over," says Schiller.

July 1, 2009 - Bloomberg.com

Breaking Out of Silos and Across Borders

With interdepartmental cooperation blossoming within the Obama administration, Neal Peirce wonders how things will shake down when policies hit metropolitan regions -- and the municipal borders that can impede and confuse policy.

June 29, 2009 - Citiwire

Waterfront Park and Housing Heading to Queens

New York City recently acquired land to develop parkspace and housing for middle and moderate-income New Yorkers in Queens.

June 28, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

Granny Flats and Carriage Houses for Denver

Grass Root Efforts to Help Bring Back a Much-Loved Building Form

June 27, 2009 - Denver Daily News

Vancouver Neighborhoods "Completely Changed" by Homeless Shelters

Gary Mason describes how Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's policy of rapid expansion of homeless shelters -- including two in residential areas -- has "completely changed" those neighborhoods.

June 26, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

New Concepts in Housing

At the PCBC builder's conference in San Francisco, the award-winning designs were 'smaller, greener, more urban and more affordable.'

June 26, 2009 - Builder Magazine

Stabilizing Housing Market May Still Prove Difficult

Obama Administration officials, speaking at a conference of real estate writers and editors, admitted that the housing crisis is far from over and administration efforts are taking time to have an effect.

June 22, 2009 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Best Laid Plans for TOD, Stalled

Planners in New Jersey developed ambitious plans for transit-oriented development along their rail corridors, but with the struggling housing market and poor economy, developers aren't showing up or have halted projects in the works.

June 22, 2009 - The New York Times

Most Unaffordable Housing, Most Livable Cities?

The Economist magazine has published it's list of the most livable cities in the world. But quite a few of these cities have the most unaffordable housing, complains Owen McShane.

June 22, 2009 - New Geography

Vancouver Begins Incentive Program to Boost Affordable Housing

Next month, Vancouver will begin a two-and-a-half year incentive program to encourage developers to build affordable housing.

June 21, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

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.

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