Housing
Does Smart Growth Lead to More Expensive Housing?
Wendell Cox believes so. In this article, he quantifies the effect of land use regulation on the cost of new home construction, which he says leads to
Recovering the Real Estate Market By Shifting Development Patterns
The real estate market will only recover once developers start building the types of neighborhoods and places people are demanding, according to Patrick C. Doherty and Christopher B. Leinberger.
Little House on the Laneway
Vancouver's liberalized laneway housing zoning is seen as a cost-effective and easy way to densify, make housing more affordable and reduce the city's carbon footprint. But not everyone is on board.
Cities Struggle to Maintain Public Housing
Across the country, federal funding is unable to keep up with repair costs, forcing some municipalities to cut units from their programs.
The Solution for Helmet Hair
Two industrial design students at Lund University noticed that despite a new law requiring bike helmets in Sweden, many people refused to wear them. They've invented a stylish cowl that inflates on impact just like an airbag.
The Futility of Foreclosure Moratoriums
Christopher Leinberger argues that regardless of current coping strategies, the mortgage crisis is permanently reshaping cities and their edges.
Lack of Transit Intensifies Suburban Poverty
In the last ten years, more than two thirds of poverty growth has happened in suburban areas of American cities. According to Brookings', social services such as transit have failed to keep up in the face of decreasing tax revenue.
Fearing a 'Middle Class Ghetto'
As London redevelops its troubled East End ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers are warning against the post-event developments turning into ghettos of the middle class.
New Jersey Moves Away From McMansion Trend
In the face of a recent report showing that sprawl was rapidly eating up developable land in New Jersey, developers have begun to ditch the McMansion in favor of taller and more dense projects.
New Jersey Running Out of Land
The NYT is reporting that New Jersey is running out of developable land, but with the recent ARC decision, the legacy of the Mount Laurel doctrine, and decades of highway-based suburbanizing policies, is New Jersey actually ready for density?
Finding Safe Places For Homeless To Park
Venice Beach (City of LA) is the latest community to restrict overnight parking of vehicle-dwelling homeless residents, including those living in RVs. It's a growing problem, especially in areas with inviting climates and tolerant political attitude
Walled Communities in Beijing Fight Crime, Spark Controversy
Small enclaves of low-wage workers in Beijing have been walled off from their surroundings in an effort to reduce crime. The separating walls have become a local controversy.
HUD's Donovan on Transportation and Housing Costs
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan talks with PBS about the department's new approach of integrating transportation and housing policy.
'Doubling Up' Increases
'Doubling up', when multiple families live under one roof to save money, is nothing new - it increases when economic times are difficult, especially with extended families. However, the Census reports that adults aged 35+ now exceed younger groups.
More Americans Overspent on Housing
Data from the Census shows that 36.7% of U.S. households pay more than 30% of their pretax income on housing, an increase of 1.5 million since 2007.
Operational Issues Keeping Residents Out of Olympic Housing in Vancouver
Housing created for the Olympic Village in Vancouver was intended to be reused after the 2010 event as affordable housing. But the province hasn't been able to find an operator. Now the city wants to move ahead without the province's help.
The Post-Olympics Neighborhood
For a few weeks in 2012 a part of East London will be host to 20,000 journalists. After the Summer Olympics, though, the area set to host the media will be a mixed use neighborhood of nearly 3,000 homes, if all goes as planned.
Troubled Times for Sun Belt Cities
Recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that poverty is at a high point in America. Hit especially hard is the Sun Belt.
Could Classic Hill Towns Be a Model for Town Planning?
In classic hill towns, people showed innovation and dynamic placemaking--lessons learned for urbanism in the new century, says Chuck Wolfe.
From Displacement to Permanent
In Haiti, displacement camps full of people left without homes after the devastating January earthquake are becoming more and more permanent. Deborah Gans argues that these sites should be more carefully planned to foster functioning places.
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
