Housing
Keeping Bad Property Investment Out Of Your City
A new report from PolicyLink presents strategies for keeping out bad land investment, such as when buyers "mothball" the property -- holding on to it without improving it -- bringing down the quality of the community.
Today's Model Homes Much Different From 5 Years Ago
Boyce Thompson of Builder Magazine says that the newer floor models from homebuilders purposely understate their amenities to create the perception of value.
Homes on the Highway for Displaced Haitians
Haitians displaced from their home by the devastating earthquake in January have set up camp along a highway median.
The Growing Problem of Suburban Poverty
Suburban areas are becoming hotbeds for rising poverty. Though migration has a role, much of the transition from middle class to welfare has been caused by the housing crisis and recession.
Foreclosure Crisis - Not What It Seems?
Millions of American homeowners are underwater facing the loss of their home, causing devastating effects on the national and local economy. But when a homeowner decides to walk away from his or her home, is that a sign of crisis or a shrewd move?
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.
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
