Housing
Use It Or Lose It
Housing activists are pushing city officials to adopt a type of eminent domain to take over neglected buildings and turn them into affordable housing. That idea is easier said than afforded by city coffers.
Border Towns Share More Than Boundary
The border towns of El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico, are increasingly becoming more and more alike -- from demographics, to land development types, to housing prices.
Energy Efficiency Grants Under Scrutiny
Government programs that subsidize energy-efficiency improvements in houses are being reconsidered as some claim the effort isn't worth the benefit.
Condos Keep Vancouver's Market Hot
Now Canada'a most expensive housing market, downtown Vancouver is attracting more and more big-spending buyers and watching its property values skyrocket.
Growth Pushes People Into Fireplace
Increased development in wooded and fire-prone areas is one of the major causes of California's recent "megafires".
If The Youth Can't Rent, They Probably Won't Stay
Low vacancy rates are threatening to push younger populations out of Vancouver.
Instant Shelter For Disaster Areas
This slideshow from Wired shows some examples of temporary, quick-build housing that can be used in post-disaster situations.
The Limitations Of Infill Development In The Bay Area
A home builder points to the "no-growth, anti-housing environmental alliance" that restricts greenfield development as the primary reason the Bay Area is unable to house its growing population.
San Diego Lures Second Home Buyers
Homebuyers increasingly look to developing downtown San Diego, California, as the site for their second homes.
From The Projects To Section 8
Traditional public housing complexes are on the way out in Atlanta as the city looks to move all of its low-income residents to a system of renting with Section 8 housing vouchers.
Condo Project Upsets Affluent Houstonians
In Houston, the only major U.S. city with no zoning laws, plans to construct a high-rise condo complex in an affluent neighborhood have residents outraged.
Is Los Angeles Ready To Adopt Inclusionary Zoning?
Two years after a prior proposal failed to pass, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has once again challenged the city's developers to help solve L.A.'s affordable housing crisis by including lower-cost units in new projects.
Berlin Seeks UNESCO Status For 1920s Social Housing
Six social housing projects built in 1920s Berlin by such architects as Walter Gropius and Bruno Taut are being considered for preservation as UNESCO sites.
Boise Reconsiders Landlord Status
City officials in Boise, Idaho, are considering a liquidation of properties the city owns and operates as affordable housing. The costs of keeping the housing available is becoming unaffordable for the city.
Affluent Community Torn By Housing Allocation Numbers
In Palo Alto, California, -- one of the country's most affluent and least affordable cities -- the City Council and residents are now wrestling with a regional housing allocation assigned by the Association of Bay Area Governments.
Condos Popping Up Around Baseball Stadiums
Condos and luxury high-rise residential buildings are sprouting up next to a number of the country's pro baseball stadiums.
Bigger Homes May Lose Out On Mortgage Interest Deduction
A proposed graduated scale based on the size of homes would chop away at the federal tax deductions for mortgage interest that property owners are allowed to claim. The cutback would affect all homes larger than 3,000 square feet.
Mortgage Crisis Fueling America's Homelessness Boom
The mortgage crisis is contributing to a dramatic increase in homeless families.
Skewed Coverage Of The Homeless?
A San Francisco lawyer and housing activist questions the paper's focus on problematic street behavior and on law enforcement as the only way to deal with the city's homeless population.
Local Measures Downsize McMansions
Cities across the country are passing measures to limit the size of new homes -- an attack on the much-derided "McMansionization" of America. Restrictions range from outright bans to innovative cap-and-trade schemes.
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
