Housing
Need A Mortgage? Go Green
Green Mortgages, though in a nascent stage, aim to help buyers qualify for larger mortgages while reducing the impact of housing on the environment. Will it work?
Mayor Introduces Affordable Housing Plan In D.C.
Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has announced a broad plan to build affordable housing for the city's poor and low-income, as well as to impose measures that make it more difficult to convert buildings to luxury condos.
Finding A Housing Balance: Houses Vs. Apartments
A planning expert in Wales is warning that many cities are endanger of pushing families out to the suburbs by focusing solely on high-density development.
The Suburbs Aren't Family Friendly After All
While hard-working families with children often head out to the suburbs for an affordable home, the hidden toll is the long commutes by car -- and its frequently women who bear the brunt of the costs.
A 'Tsunami' of Homeless Veterans?
A new documentary portrays a grim new reality: veterans make up 25% of the homeless population in America -- a percentage which is expected to rise.
Downsizing Flint 'Gracefully'
Flint, Michigan has adopted a new strategy to deal with shrinkage and blight: tear down abandoned properties and sell the plots to nearby neighbors for a dollar.
Demographics Shift From Sydney To Melbourne
Rising home prices and cost of living are steering more Australians away from Sydney and towards Melbourne, creating a boom in population that has put the city on track to become the country's biggest city.
New Homes Being Built In Wildfire Zones
New development in Southern California's wildfire zones are required to provide safety features such as special landscaping and fireproof materials. Critics say cost to society is high.
New Urban Projects Faring Well In Declining Market
New Urban and transit oriented developments are showing better financial health compared to other types of development as the housing market declines nationwide.
Friday Funny: Disney's 'Urban Adventure'
As the Disney Corporation and the city of Anaheim, California, squabble over a proposal to build affordable housing near the Happiest Place on Earth, Morris Newman suggests turning the affordable housing project into an "urban theme park".
Affordable Housing Projects Demolished But Never Replaced
A rash of building demolitions has erased more than 700 units of affordable housing in the Washington D.C. area, but replacement buildings have not been constructed.
The 'Ad-Hoc' Redevelopment of New Orleans
Rebuilding and redevelopment continues is New Orleans, with a wide variety of architectural styles creating a patchwork in the city. Some say this free-form redevelopment is good for the city, but others are calling it a mistake.
The World's Skinniest House
Take a tour inside what may be the skinniest house ever built -- the bite-sized answer to the McMansion.
Shhh, Don't Share This News About Portland
After a New York Times real estate article points out that on top of being one of America's most livable cities it is also one of its most affordable, there could be mass migration to Portland.
Despite Congratulations, Completed Affordable Housing Falls Short Of Need
As public officials in New York tout their own work to build affordable housing, housing advocates are filing lawsuits against them arguing that they have fallen way short of the amount of units their cities need.
Pricing Blue Collar Workers Back Into The Housing Market
As part of a new effort to increase access to housing, advocates are working in three target areas to try to find the best ways to create affordable workforce housing in areas that are typically too expensive for many blue-collar workers.
What L.A. Can Learn About Homelessness From Other U.S. Cities
Strategies used by cities such as Miami, Philadelphia, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, & Denver for reducing homelessness are working.
The 'Horror' of Gentrification
The recurring theme in horror movies of newly-arrived tenants being haunted by former tenants and vengeful spirits may be seen as a metaphor for gentrification, writes Sam Miller.
Cottages, Not Trailers, Set For Louisiana's Jackson Barracks
Already lagging behind Mississippi, Louisiana has finally approved the construction of 75 "Louisiana Cottages" (AKA Katrina Cottages) as an alternative to FEMA's temporary trailers, long thought to be a sub-standard and undignified form of housing.
The Other Firestorm
While catastrophic, the California fires will not have nearly the destructive impact as the other firestorm still in progress: the subprime meltdown.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
