Housing

What's Wrong With ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act has generally been the subject of much controversy and debate, but especially amongst planners and developers.

September 28, 2007 - New Towns

NOLA Demolitions Exacerbate Housing Discrimination

Mass demolitions of apartments and housing discrimination are adding to African-Americans' post-Katrina recovery woes.

September 27, 2007 - Common Dreams

PM Brown Boosts Eco-Town Efforts

New British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced plans to double the development of carbon-conscious "eco-towns" in an effort to reduce the country's emissions and expand its strained housing stock.

September 27, 2007 - BBC

Suburban Boston Lashes Out Against McMansions

Residents and planners are just about fed up with McMansions in the Bsoton suburb of Wellesley, and they are looking to impose strict regulations on housing size and give a residential board oversight on proposed houses.

September 27, 2007 - The Boston Globe

Sacramento's Core Fills In

After years of trying to get more properties built for sale downtown, new urban infill projects are springing up in Sacramento's core.

September 26, 2007 - The Sacramento Bee

Cheaper To House The Homeless In B.C.

Government research form British Columbia has shown that it costs cities more than $12,000 per homeless person per year. Some are saying it would be cheaper for the city to give them housing than to keep them on the streets.

September 25, 2007 - Times Colonist

Abandoned Luxury Condos Morph Into Affordable Housing

With the downturn in the housing market, a planned luxury condo tower in Downtown San Diego has been reworked into an affordable housing development.

September 24, 2007 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Affordable Housing Bill Gathers Momentum

A bill originally introduced in 1987 that would create a trust fund to support the creation of affordable housing may be on its way to congressional approval this fall.

September 24, 2007 - U.S. News And World Report

Residents And Housing Associations Grapple Over Clotheslines

Across the country, communities and housing associations are finding themselves in heated debates over what would otherwise be a rather banal subject: drying clothes. Some want to use clotheslines, but others worry about plummeting property values.

September 20, 2007 - The Wall Street Journal

Buffalo - Where Progress May Be Marked More By Demolition Than Construction

Buffalo is grappling with a blight of abandoned homes - which are directly correlated to crime rates in neighborhoods. It shares much in common with other cities well past their heyday, such as St. Louis, Detroit, and Youngstown.

September 17, 2007 - The New York Times

Housing Slump Forces Developers To Un-Supersize McMansions

The nationwide slump in the housing market is manifesting itself in the shrinking square footage of new McMansions.

September 17, 2007 - The Wall Street Journal

Low-Income Artist Housing

Washington D.C.'s Cultural Development Corporation is pushing condo conversions to create affordable housing for low-income artists.

September 17, 2007 - The Washington Post

Late-Session Bill May Make L.A. Entertainment Complex Eligible For Housing Funds

A controversial bill approved at the end of the California State Senate's regular session may allow developers of a massive entertainment development in downtown Los Angeles to compete for millions of dollars in affordable housing funds.

September 13, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Cox Says Smart Growth Limits Homeownership

Wendell Cox argues that smart growth development plans are bad policy for African Americans because they elevate home prices out of reach.

September 12, 2007 - Heartland Perspectives

McMansions Equivalent To 'SUVs That Run for 100 Years'

The ever-growing size of American homes means that, regardless of how "green" the construction techniques, they will be rapacious users of energy for decades to come.

September 11, 2007 - Michael Dudley

Going Green In Miami-Dade County

Despite minor speedbumps in the permitting process, an explicitly green home is now being built in Kendall, a suburb to the south of Miami. The owners expect it to be the greenest home in the region.

September 11, 2007 - The Miami Herald

How the Federal Reserve Burst the Bubble

By denying that the American housing market was artificially inflated, and by keeping interest rates low and encouraging risky mortgage lending, the Federal Reserve contributed significantly to the inevitable bursting of the housing bubble.

September 9, 2007 - Common Dreams

Unwanted McMansions Become Unwanted McBoarding Houses

Suburban Washington D.C. residents are upset over a rash of new buildings in their neighborhoods that they say don't fit in with the character of their communities. It's not just that the houses are too big, but that they are housing too many people.

September 5, 2007 - The Washington Post

The Rise Of The Katrina Cottage

The Katrina Cottage, designed as an alternative to the ubiquitous post-Katrina FEMA trailer, is now gaining popularity nationwide as both an affordable housing solution and a quaint vacation cottage."

September 1, 2007 - Asbury Park Press

Affordable Housing Mistakenly Renting At Market Rates

Complaints over parking have led the city of Martinez, California, to realize an affordable housing complex built for seniors has been renting at market rates for years.

August 30, 2007 - The Contra Costa Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.