Housing

Top 8 Facadist Renovations, from Melbourne to Bucharest

Facadism is often criticized for its awkward juxtapositions, but here are eight of the nicest facadist renovations from around the world, according to Stephen Smith.

February 4, 2012 - International Business Times

Letting Fannie and Freddie Off the Hook

Although they played a part in the ensuing financial panic, noted economist Mark Zandi argues why Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don't deserve to be blamed for the housing bubble.

February 1, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Next Best Thing For Those Priced Out in NYC

Jim Rendon has some inventive suggestions for those priced out of the most beloved and exclusive neighborhoods in New York.

January 31, 2012 - The New York Times

Ideas for Fixing the Housing Market

In the "Room for Debate" section of its Opinion Pages, The New York Times has gathered a series of ideas for fixing the struggling housing market from experts across the ideological spectrum.

January 27, 2012 - The New York Times

Reflections on Towers in the Park, and the Limits of Architecture

Michael Kimmelman, after visiting the Penn South housing cooperative in Manhattan and reflecting on the new film "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth", questions the role that design has in determining success or failure for tower in the park housing type.

January 26, 2012 - The New York Times

Is Energy Efficiency the New Granite Countertop?

John McIlwain explores the market for energy efficient housing, and finds growth across the country.

January 26, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Ranking Housing Affordability in America

Nate Berg reports on information compiled in the 8th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, and asks to what extent the affordability of housing is tied to land use policies and how much is related to other factors.

January 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In LA, Agricultural-Residential Zoned Neighborhoods Threatened

A neighborhood in Tarzana, one of the few residential areas in Los Angeles County that allows raising livestock, battles developmental pressures. The latest proposal: razing five homes for an elderly care center.

January 25, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Primary Forces Candidates to Confront Florida's Housing Crisis

As the Republican primary battle heats up heading into Florida, Michael A. Fletcher asks the question that many residents of the state are considering: how do the candidates propose addressing the housing crisis?

January 25, 2012 - The Washington Post

Zappos Founder "Trades Shoes for Urban Planning"

Zappos founder Tony Hsieh and his team went from designing a new campus to an entirely new collaborative city in downtown Las Vegas for Zappos employees and other emerging members of the creative class.

January 23, 2012 - CNN Money - Fortune Tech

On the Docket: Stabilizing Neighborhoods in Cleveland

Real estate speculators are being fined big bucks in Cleveland for letting properties sit vacant, but the jury's still out on whether this is the key to stabilizing neighborhoods.

January 22, 2012 - Shelterforce

Virginia's Green Building Revolution

The commonwealth's nonprofit affordable housing developers are outgreening their market-rate peers, bringing green building up to scale statewide.

January 20, 2012 - Shelterforce

A Tale of Two Cities

Melinda Burns uses two California cities through which to investigate the reasons why the foreclosure crisis has impacted communities in dramatically different ways.

January 20, 2012 - Miller-McCune

The Future of Development in D.C.

Steven Pearlstein reads the tea leaves to predict the future development patterns in Washington, D.C. and finds that all signs point inwards to the city center and its closer-in suburbs.

January 19, 2012 - The Washington Post

An Improved Outlook for Housing

After a 5-year slide, Julie Schmit reports on investor and analyst optimism regarding the Housing Market in 2012 and beyond

January 19, 2012 - USA Today

Who to Follow on Twitter for Your Housing Industry Fix

Robert Krueger, writing in Urban Land, has compiled a list of the top 15 housing industry sources to follow on Twitter.

January 18, 2012 - Urban Land

Gold Medal for London's Olympic Village?

Rowan Moore judges the return of the "huge" housing estate in the shape of the 2012 Olympics Athletes' Village in London.

January 12, 2012 - The Observer

Super Bowl Bid Results In Community Revitalization

The Super Bowl bid in Indianapolis has had a ripple effect in the community, leading to significant revitalization efforts and a "mini-building boom in anticipation of the big game."

January 11, 2012 - The New York Times

Vacant Homes Invite Creative Reuse

From movie sets to pot farms to low-income housing, foreclosed homes have been converted in unepected and resourceful ways. Catherine Rampell reports.

January 11, 2012 - The New York Times

Foreclosing on the African American Community

January 9, 2012 - John I. Gilderbloom

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.