Housing
Seattle's Backyard Cottages Encouraged
Don't call them granny flats or inlaw units! These are separate units that can only be built on lots of 4,000 sq. ft. minimum. Only 50 have been built or permitted since the trial began in 2006. The goal is to bring affordabllity to SFH neighborhoods
Legal Case Argues for Right to Housing in Ontario
A coalition of social welfare organizations in Ontario is preparing a legal case compelling the federal and Ontario governments to provide affordable housing as a human right.
Are San Francisco Planners Going Too Far?
Architects in San Francisco say that the Planning Department has gotten increasingly involved in design decisions over the past two years, favoring traditional projects over contemporary designs.
Derelict Detroit Home Used as Architecture Studio Project
Five young architects have taken over a derelict home in Detroit and are using it as a full-scale studio for new design ideas.
HUD Announces $3 Billion for "Location-Efficient" Projects
At this week's Congress for the New Urbanism, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan would score new grant applications on transportation access and residential density.
What's missing in the mixed-income units?
A wish for stronger community ties and social interaction is prevalent among mixed-income Chicago residents, study finds.
Locals Kill Low-Income Housing, Want Park Instead
In Frisco, Texas, locals fought a non-profit that wanted to build a 200 low-income apartment building near Bicentennial Park.
Mini-Homes for Homeless
A Fresno, CA architect has designed and built a number of tiny buildings made out of recycled materials as homes for the homeless, but has yet to find a site that will take them.
Historic Homes May Be Too Damaged to Save in Brooklyn's Navy Yard
A historic Navy yard in Brooklyn has been crumbling for decades. Now a deal has been struck to redevelop part of the area. But even with preservation efforts, many of the area's historic homes may be too damaged to save.
Building Boom In Land Of Foreclosures
It seems inconceivable - building new homes next to new, vacant homes, but with depressed prices for land and labor a new market for home-buyers who missed out on foreclosure sales has developed in states hit worst by the housing crisis.
Working From Home: An Urban Planning Revolution
A piece in The Atlantic argues that telecommuting trends could have significant impacts on the built environment.
Luxury Condos + Homeless People = ?
264 luxury residential developments are vacant in New York City, according to a new report. Could they be a temporary solution to a serious homeless problem?
Enforcing Fair Housing - For Real
After a lawsuit in New York State, HUD has taken up the stick and is threatening to terminate funding to housing programs if civil rights fair housing regulations are not met.
Obama's Mortgage Rescue Plan a "Frankensystem"?
Mike Whitney at Alternet warns that, between a poorly-understood "frankensystem" of federal housing relief combined with an estimated 9-year "shadow inventory" of distressed homes, homeowners are facing a "lost decade."
God and the Granny Pod
A Methodist reverend has a vision of a portable living space for aging seniors that could be set up in a family's backyard. Local officials worry about them becoming permanent if zoning changes.
City And Business House Homeless
San Antonio, Texas, is partnering with business and nonprofit groups on a project aimed at curbing homelessness.
New Housing/Mobility Measurement For Affordability Is 45%
The housing affordability rule of thumb is that you should not pay more that 30% of your income in rent or mortgage payment. Yet that ratio doesn't include the transportation costs that vary by community. What would it be if it was included?
Mortgage Tax Breaks Encourage McMansions
Edward L. Glaeser says that the government policy of encouraging homeownership through tax breaks subsidizes Americans to buy bigger homes which waste energy.
Jane Jacobs Missed the Mark on Density
Jane Jacobs is probably the most well-regarded writer on urban issues in American history. But, as economist Edward L. Glaeser argues, her stance on urban density is a little bit off-target.
"Rezoning Madness" in Ireland
Local authorities throughout Ireland have rezoned ag land into residential at a ridiculous rate, according to a recent study that shows a demand for fewer than 300,000 units where 800,000 units are now allowed.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
