Housing

LA Street Slips Into The Pacific

Heavy rains Sunday afternoon exacerbated a subsiding roadway in the L.A. suburb of San Pedro, leaving gaping holes and exposing plumbing and other infrastructure housed beneath the street.

November 21, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Top 10 Books - 2012

Planetizen’s tenth annual list of the best books in urban planning, design and development ranges from a crowdsourced compendium of ideas for upgrading New York City's built environment to a personal report from the streets of Karachi.

November 21, 2011 - Michael Dudley

Does Living in a Poor Neighborhood Harm Your Health?

A study conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s found that living in poor neighborhoods can actually hurt your health.

November 19, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

How - and Where - Should We Live?

A new report predicts how - and where - we'll be living in the near future, and where planners and developers should focus.

November 19, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

The Shrinking Middle Class

A new report from Stanford University looks at the changes in incomes and neighborhoods.

November 18, 2011 - The New York Times

Prefab Steel for Atlantic Yards Towers

The low-cost method of construction on the residential towers of the Atlantic Yards project would be a first for any structure this tall. Sixty percent of it would be constructed off-site at a 20% cost savings.

November 18, 2011 - Crain's New York Business

Planning's Limits and Strengths Identified at NYC Zoning Conference

Though held in recognition of zoning's 50th anniversary, the conference details future social, economic, and environmental challenges. Raymond Li reports on both the positive and negative points of discussion brought up on Tuesday.

November 17, 2011 - International Business Times

The McMansion as Dorm

In Merced, California, students fill in the large homes chockablock with amenities and left vacant by a high foreclosure rate. Rents often go for under $300 a month.

November 15, 2011 - The New York Times

Return of the "Flophouse"

Neal Peirce says its time to bring back the "rooming house" and other alternative housing options as an alternative to the single-family home.

November 14, 2011 - Citiwire.net

Boston Area Cities Receive Smart Growth Funding

Each of the cities just north of Boston will use its federal funds however it sees fit to boost smart growth principles and local economic development.

November 13, 2011 - The Boston Globe

Tysons Corner Comprehensive Plan Stymies Project

Citing the city's need for private dollars to contribute to $810 million in road improvements, developers of one residential development has indefinitely shelved its plans.

November 12, 2011 - Capital Business - The Washington Post

Occupy D.C.'s Urban Design Model

Evelio Contreras and Philip Kennicott film the Occupy movement transforming MacPherson Square into an urban hub, in one of Washington's central nodal points.

November 11, 2011 - The Washington Post

Muslim Community Drives New Redevelopment Project

In Mumbai, a tight-knit community of Ismaili Muslims are beginning work on their 16.5 acres redevelopment project. The cluster of land, which is said to be in the heart of the city's southern tip, is to be completed by 2017.

November 10, 2011 - The Polis Blog

Mother-In-Law Apartments Are Good for the Economy

Accessory dwelling units, or in-law apartments, are gaining approval in greater numbers of communities.

November 10, 2011 - The New York Times

Five Moves to Fix Boston's Housing Problem

In this post, John Keith suggests five methods to help Boston be more affordable to live in, including striking out the city's affordable housing program altogether.

November 10, 2011 - CharlestownPatch

The Secret to More Jobs isn't Home Creation, its Rehabilitation

Emily Badger of The Atlantic Cities explores the economic and environmental advantages of refurbishing old buildings over constructing new ones.

November 8, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Dangerous, But Useful: Illegal Apartments

Illegal apartments present a quandary for the city of New York: they increase the danger of fire, but also provide needed shelter that couldn't be found elsewhere. Some experts think a path to legalization could work.

November 8, 2011 - City Limits

Apartments In East Harlem Left Empty for Decades

Revitalization has come to East Harlem, but a number of apartment buildings are left vacant by their owners until they can be turned over or the market recovers enough for higher rents.

November 7, 2011 - The New York Times

Grim Figures for Areas of Concentrated Poverty

A new Brookings Institution report shows that places of concentrated poverty are getting worse due to unsustained growth nationwide and the suburbanization of poverty. Authors Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube expound on the findings.

November 6, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Apartments to be Razed for Athletic Complex

As part of a larger parks plan, one Atlanta suburb wants to use its bonds to build a sports complex where housing already exists. Adding to the controversy, the idea doesn't seem to have gone through a proper public review. Melissa Weinman reports.

November 5, 2011 - Reporter Newspapers

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.