Housing
Mickey Mouse McMansions
The Disney Company is betting against the struggling Florida housing market with plans to build million-dollar luxury homes near its Orlando theme park.
Baltimore Points The Way Forward For Urban Renewal
Neal Peirce describes how Baltimore's first mixed income neighborhood since WWII is taking shape on the east side just north of the Johns Hopkins campus.
Homes Shrink As Lower-Priced Homes Sales Surge
More first-time, energy-conscious, urban home buyers with smaller households have contributed to a noticeable reduction in home size as shown in 2008-2009 housing Census data. Concurrently, lower-priced home sales outpaced more expensive homes.
Affordable Housing Makes Life - Well, Affordable
Households that are given affordable housing have more money to spend, which can bring more money into the economy, according to a new study from the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
Suburbs Lag As Urban Core Mark Population Gains
William Frey of Brookings Institution analyzes census data from 2008-2009 in a WSJ economics blog that unmistakably shows a reduction of growth within suburban parts of metro areas while the cities in metro areas have increased in population.
How Yorkville Ended Up With So Much Dead Public Space
Martin Pedersen of Metropolis Magazine explains how a city ordinance termed the 'plaza bonus,' lead to the creation of more than five hundred "privately financed, privately owned, but public spaces."
Vision California Calls for Compact Development in Established Cities
Vision California, the state's first planning document in over thirty years, was released Wednesday and concludes that planners "should focus on creating compact development in already established cities," over continued suburban sprawl.
WSJ Editor Rethinks The American Dream
NPR's Steve Inskeep interviews Wall Street Journal economics editor David Wessel on aspects of the American dream of home ownership that apparently are not working. Not only does Wessel suggest eliminating the tax deduction, but pushes renting too.
Vancouver's Laneway Homes Begin to Arouse Complaint
The idea was for the homes to be 'mortgage helpers' or cheaper way to house elderly parents. Since the citywide policy was passed last year, 89 laneways have been approved and some are already generating complaints.
BP's Latest Victim: Coastal Real Estate
Half million dollar beach houses are going unsold and rapidly losing value as the oil slick -- and fears -- spread.
Mortgage Headache Spawns Legislation in California
Mortgage debt is crippling the housing market all over the country, and the homeowners who've taken on more debt than they can afford. Now, real estate interests and banking interests are battling over legislation intended to ease the pain.
Americans Spending More On Housing Than Ever
18.6 million American households –renters and homeowners alike – spend more than half their income on housing, according to a new study by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Amount of Families in Shelters Increases
The number of families in homeless shelters increased by 7% in 2009, according to a new report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Funding Permanent Housing for the Homeless in Tempe
Officials in Tempe, Arizona and Maricopa County are using federal stimulus money to help end chronic homelessness by providing permanent housing options.
Bank Rule Change Could Help Struggling Neighborhoods
A new rule proposed by federal regulators would allow bank investments made for neighborhood stabilization efforts and donations of foreclosed properties to be count towards compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act.
Cisneros: Not the Government's Fault
Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros says the housing crisis is the fault of brought unscrupulous business people, not the government.
A New Direction for New Urbanists
At the 18th Annual Congress for New Urbanists, Andres Duany announced 'Agrarian Urbanism' as his new planning emphasis. He believes that the success of New Urbanism has stultified its progress and reduced its potential.
The Most Complex Piece of Architecture Created by Mankind
340KM above your head, the first human dwelling beyond Earth's surface has just been completed. Last week, a space shuttle launched on May 14 added the final building block to the $125 billion International Space Station.
Has Expansion of the Welfare State Hindered Social Mobility in London?
Joel Kotkin examines the causes of growing disaffection among Britain's youth and the associated class conflicts that were highlighted by the recent general election.
Green Urbanism's Affordability Problem
Nature writer David Oates embeds himself in green, urban Portland and finds much to like about the green city movement but also much room for improvement.
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
