Housing
How to Make Housing Affordable
Avi Friedman has some ideas of how to make housing more affordable. He says that the focus is too much on the mortgage and subsidies side and not enough on lower building costs.
'Zombie Subdivisions' Eating America's Suburbs
Thousands of subdivisions across the country have been abandoned mid-development by owners and developers hit hard by the economic recession. This video takes a tour inside one of these "zombie subdivisions".
Anti-Graffiti Coating To Be Required on L.A. Buildings
The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved a measure that will require an anti-graffiti coating on all new buildings in the city.
The Curse of Pruitt-Igoe
Rumor had it that the site of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe projects remains empty because the foundations are impossible to demolish. Turns out that the problem is politics, not pilings.
Time for HUD to Rethink Rental
HUD needs to rethink its emphasis on home ownership and refocus on rentals, argues John Kromer of the Fels Institute of Government.
Condo Conundrum
Like many other cities, there are condos a-plenty in Seattle. Developers are trying almost anything to get them sold. But the majority remain empty, leaving developers scratching their heads about what to do.
Habitat For Humanity Sees Gold In Vacant Housing
Used to pouring resources into building new homes, Habitat for Humanity sees opportunity in the vast number of vacancies caused by the mortgage crisis.
The People Under the Strip
A community of hundreds of people live beneath the glitz of the Las Vegas Strip in flood control tunnels.
Show Me the Mortgage!
Homeowners threatened with foreclosure are increasingly finding that a simple legal tactic is stalling the process.
Morocco Seeks to Supplant Slums
In an effort to replace slums with low-cost housing, Morocco is paying developers to create thousands of new apartments. Some slum residents see it as a boon, others say they couldn't afford the rent, even if it were subsidized.
Westchester, NY Struggles with Desegregation, Federal Government
Westchester's County Legislature left its Monday meeting with no decision made on how it would move forward with a settlement requiring it to build affordable housing with the goal of desegregation. Or go to trial.
Andrés Duany Calls For Revamping Public Process
Among other issues tackled by the noted New Urbanist during a recent speech, Duany said that the current form of public engagement is broken because it engages only the immediate neighbors.
DC Goes NU
New Urban News looks at the growing influence of New Urbanists and their ideas in Washington, from the appointment of former CNU director Shelley Poticha to a HUD position to the new Livable Communities Act proposed by Sen. Christopher Dodd.
Bank Executive Blasted for Beachfront Foreclosure Parties
A Wells Fargo executive involved in foreclosures has reportedly been using a foreclosed Malibu, California, estate for personal parties on the weekends.
Affordable Housing Built From Trash
Dan Phillips' company Phoenix Commotion builds homes from discarded materials for low-income individuals in Huntsville, Alabama.
Following the Path of the Meltdown
A new documentary tracks the meltdown of Wall Street and its impact on housing throughout the country. The New York Times offers this review.
Towns Take More Control Over Affordable Housing Development
Instead of waiting for developers to come into town with plans for affordable housing, some Connecticut towns are taking advantage of a statewide grant program that helps establish zones for high density and affordable housing.
Tightening the Sun Belt
The real estate growth that had been feeding itself in the Sun Belt has come to an end. Now many places like Phoenix are drying up.
The Feral Houses of Detroit
Plant life is taking over the abandoned houses of Detroit. These photos from James D. Griffioen offer a tour.
Accustomed to Decline, One Neighborhood in Flint Bucks Trend
Take two seemingly unrelated words: Flint and Gentrification. Now put them together. What you get is an unexpected rebirth in one part of the struggling city -- a neighborhood where home ownership and community investment are actually increasing.
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
