Housing

Boom in Utah Town

Growth is at a standstill in most western boomtowns, but not in well-planned, thriving South Jordan, UT. An expedited permitting process and good planning are given credit as catalysts for growth.

November 5, 2009 - Desert News

Vancouver Seeks to Avoid Tragedy, Make Shelters More Practical

Homeless people may avoid seeking help or services because there is a lack of space secure their belongings in shelters. The death of a homeless woman in Vancouver last winter highlights the severity of the problem.

November 4, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

Seattle Approves Backyard Cottages

The Seattle City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance that will allow owners of single family homes to construct additional cottage-like housing units on their property.

November 4, 2009 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Housing is Recovering - Will It Last?

Business Week looks at the recovering housing market, and believes that even though it was driven by massive government support there are signs that it might actually continue.

October 31, 2009 - Business Week

One Drug Hotel at a Time

British Columbia has converted nearly two dozen formerly notorious hotels into housing for the homeless.

October 30, 2009 - The Tyee

Coalition Promises $4 Billion to Green Affordable Housing

A collection of non-profits working with HUD is promising to spend $4 billion on updating affordable housing across the country to be more sustainable.

October 27, 2009 - Grist

Portable, Stackable Housing Units

GOOD Magazine highlights designer Michael McDaniel's Reaction Housing System, a temporary shelter that can be stacked up and loaded onto a flatbed 20 at a time.

October 27, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Residential Construction Declines Sharply in New York City

2009 is expected to turn out as a bad year for residential constructoin in New York City. After five consecutive years with more than 30,000 units constructed, at total of 6,300 are expected this year.

October 26, 2009 - The New York Times

Human Rights Violations in NY's Affordable Housing?

The United Nations has appointed a special envoy to evaluate whether lack of access to affordable housing in New York is so bad it violates basic human rights.

October 25, 2009 - The New York Times

Cohousing Catches On

Cohousing, which is cooperatively-managed but independently-owned housing, is gaining popularity in the Northwest. A new cohousing project in Portland just opened its doors last weekend.

October 22, 2009 - Northwest Hub

Foreclosed Homeowners Turning to Homeless Shelters

A new report shows a dramatic trend in homelessness: increasing numbers of former homeowners left with nowhere to live after foreclosure are turning to homeless shelters.

October 21, 2009 - The New York Times

Testing Grounds

Housing development, architecture and community building have found a new learning lab in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

October 19, 2009 - The Atlantic

From Foreclosure to Green TOD in Phoenix

Foreclosed homes in Phoenix are a new goldmine for one developer, who is buying up land near the city's mass transit lines and marketing properties as transit oriented development.

October 17, 2009 - NPR

Bloomberg's Housing Plan Gains, Loses

Despite the NYC Mayor's progress in preserving or creating affordable housing, overall the city has seen net losses.

October 15, 2009 - The New York Times

To Save Water, Developers Ditch Lawns

Developers of Sterling Ranch, a proposed master-planned community in Colorado, want its future residents to curb their water use. One way they're ensuring this is by nixing traditional, lush lawns from their plans.

October 15, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Halfway Towards Ending Homelessness in Portland

Portland, Oregon is half-way through its ten-year plan to address homelessness. The city's seen improvements, but many challenges lie ahead, according to this report.

October 15, 2009 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Study Shows Shelter Reduces Costs

A four-year study by United Way of Greater Los Angeles has shown that stable housing provides benefits to taxpayers as well as the homeless.

October 14, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

2010 Census Faces Foreclosure Challenges

The high amount of foreclosures is expected to make things tougher for Census officials as they prepare for 2010 Census enumeration.

October 14, 2009 - The Associated Press

There's No Place Like Home

Joel Kotkin sees a trend in a 'New Localism'- people aren't moving around like they used to, and it's causing them to reengage with their communities.

October 13, 2009 - Newsweek

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.