Housing
Housing Market "Years Away From Recovery"
Housing sales fell for the fourth month in a row, a bad sign for the ailing industry and the economy in general, writes Derek Kravitz.
A New Look for Affordable Housing in the Bronx
Via Verde is a subsidized housing development going up in a gentrifying part of the South Bronx, combining towers with townhouses and a contemporary design.
In Two Housing Markets, Recession is Either Memory or Reality
There are two housing markets, "one for the rich and one for everyone else," writes Michelle Conlin. Sales and subsequent bidding wars are back in richer neighborhoods, while approximately 98.5% of the population see no end to the recession just yet.
Plan for Haiti Unveiled
Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism have unveiled a comprehensive plan for Jacmel, Haiti. Highlights of the plan, which took a year and a half to draw up, include prefab homes that work around the city's "topographical challenges."
Density in the Backyard
Vancouver is working to incorporate more density in traditional single-family neighborhoods by allowing additional dwellings in the backyard, adjacent to alleys.
Maryland Lays Out Plan to Combat Sprawl
A large chunk of the state's developed land is designated as low to very low single-family residential, which explains an exceptionally high percentage of workers who commute to work alone. PlanMaryland seeks to change this unsustainable trend.
Promoting Equity in Subsidized Housing
As the real estate market begins to rebound, many affordable housing advocates and developers in NYC are calling for a modification of the 80/20 program.
Mixed-Use Prevails in 2030 Land Use Projections
A new land use study based on the 2008 "comp plans" data reveals a significant shift toward mixed-use and transit-oriented developments (TODs) in the Twin Cities seven-county metro area.
Historic Preservation Jobs Are Local
With Missouri's Historic Preservation Tax Credit on the chopping block, Citiography outlines seven reasons the state should keep this program. Creating local jobs is just one.
Trabikewalking? Bikpedansit?
Tom Downs says that walking, biking and transit should be considered one mode of transportation, and that the demographic shift is showing a new-found preference for that mode.
Berkley Dumpster House Provides Basic Essentials and Some Bling
Berkley, California man Gregory Kloehn has taken the dumpster reuse culture to a whole other level with his dumpster house, writes Zak Stone for GOOD.
Picture Not So Rosy in the Ninth Ward
Martin C. Pedersen says New Orleans' recovery is far from over in the Ninth Ward, even with the efforts of groups like Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation.
Melbourne Ranked as Most Livable City
With high scores in five broad categories, Melbourne, Australia received the highest spot in livability rankings from The Economist's research unit.
Urban Infill a New Target for Modular Homebuilders
Urban infill housing is becoming a major part of business for large homebuilders, even those building modular homes.
Renovation Coming to Long-Troubled Harlem Tenements
Neglected for decades, a group of tenement buildings in New York City are set to be renovated to provide a new source of affordable housing.
Cleveland's Land Bank Fights Blight of Foreclosures
With a high rate of foreclosure, Cleveland instituted a land bank to rein in rampant vacancies. After two years, the program has made some headway.
Extreme Makeover: Housing Policies Edition
As consumer real estate debt surpasses $9 trillion, TIME magazine examines four radical proposals that top policymakers and economists think will help turn things around.
Brownfield Revitalization, or Gentrification?
Residents of the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco fear that redevelopment threatens to gentrify the area in a way that pushes out low- and middle-income black residents.
Green Gadget Homes Aimed at Middle Class
Developers in Frederick, ND are aiming to build "green" homes that middle income buyers can afford. The homes are sporting features such as, solar panels, geothermal heating and high-tech computer systems that are typically found in high end homes.
TODs Spark Parking Reform
Saqib Rahim asks, "If Denver is committed to transit, how much parking should it build?"
Pagination
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello