Housing

Looking Beyond Shelter to Help Low-Income People

Neal Peirce looks at the new concept of "comprehensive community development," which expands the scope of affordable housing to include jobs, schools and public safety.

May 3, 2010 - Citiwire.net

Canadians Overinvested in Their Homes, Says Florida

Richard Florida writes that Canadians great love for homebuying (with a greater home ownership rate than even the U.S.) could be economically instable.

May 3, 2010 - The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Portland's Empty Urban Renewal Area

Tax breaks and incentives helped spur a rash of development in Portland's South Waterfront district. But the development has struggled to lure residents.

May 1, 2010 - The Portland Mercury

Can Mass Demolitions Save Detroit?

In this video report from CNN, Detroit politicians and residents voice both opposition and support for the plan to demolish up to 3,000 abandoned homes and densify remaining housing.

April 30, 2010 - CNN

The Urban-Suburban Housing Conundrum

Marcelle Cerny describes her family's so-far-fruitless quest for an affordable, suburban-sized home in an urban area close to public transit and amenities.

April 30, 2010 - The Globe and Mail

Toxic Suburbia

A 50-acre section of the Los Angeles suburb of Carson is contaminated with methane gas and benzene. Owners of the 285 homes in the area are left with few options.

April 28, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Real Estate Scandal and Planning Reform in Jerusalem

Described as being the biggest corruption scandal in Israel's history, the Holyland Park scandal highlights the need for tighter regulation of land use planning in Israel. But with the Prime Minister's support for deregulation, reform looks unlikely.

April 26, 2010 - Treehugger

Fixing Neighborhoods in Savannah

Fast Company released their annual "Fast Cities" issue, featuring 12 cities the editors believe are taking innovative approaches. Savannah, Georgia was chosen for its Neighborhood Renaissance Savannah program, which cleans up abandoned homes.

April 25, 2010 - Fast Company

The One-Two Punch of Job Losses and Falling Home Values

Housing devaluation and job loss are the two major problems affecting America's urban areas. But as this article from Governing explains, those two problems are playing out in drastically different ways from metro to metro.

April 22, 2010 - Governing

Lots of Jobs, But No Housing for Workers

North Dakota is undergoing a jobs boom right now, but it doesn't have the housing stock to match the new increase in workers.

April 21, 2010 - The New York Times

Subdivisions Built Around Agriculture

This article from GOOD wonders whether farms could become the new cornerstone amenity in suburban residential communities.

April 21, 2010 - Good

Running Cities Like A Business

Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez writes that the great success of Mayor Bloomberg's PlanNYC is due in large part to a process that borrowed key principles from the business world.

April 20, 2010 - Environmental Leader

Market Crash Leaves L.A. Flush With High-Priced Plots

Bought at the height of the real estate market and intended for conversion into high-priced luxury apartment buildings, empty plots of land are littered throughout Los Angeles, undeveloped and quietly back on the market at greatly reduced prices.

April 20, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Communicating Codes Through Song

When working a charrette in Jamaica, architect Steve Mouzon inadvertently inspired local children to set a recommendation for urban farming to song.

April 17, 2010 - The Original Green Blog

Green Building Flourishes in New Orleans

With more than 500 energy-efficient homes with environmentally friendly features are being built in New Orleans. This rise in green building is being called one of the positive legacies of Hurricane Katrina.

April 13, 2010 - USA Today

Despite Growing Population, Number of Households Falls

The United States population is on the rise, but the number of households within the U.S. is falling. Many link the drop to the downturn in the economy.

April 13, 2010 - RIS Media

Ahead of World Cup, Cape Town Shack Dwellers Relocated

Slum dwellers in the suburbs of Cape Town have been forcefully relocated to a shack housing complex out of town -- and out of sight of the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to descend on the city for this year's soccer World Cup.

April 13, 2010 - France 24

Following Through on Affordable Housing Mandate

Westchester County, NY has a mandate to spread its affordable housing into wealthier neighborhoods instead of just clumping it in poorer ones. But making it happen is a challenge.

April 4, 2010 - The New York Times

A NYC Housing Code Rarely Enforced - Fortunately

Fortunately for the unrelated roommates, that is, because in NYC the housing code prohibits more than three to live under the same roof. By one estimate, that would make at least 15,000 units illegal. This article looks at several of them.

April 1, 2010 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Las Vegas Residents Want Out

A recent survey from UNLV suggests that 40% of the residents of the Las Vegas metropolitan area would prefer to leave the state.

April 1, 2010 - Las Vegas Sun

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.

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

Senior Planner

Eagle County Government

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.