Housing

The Cost of Density

As Toronto's heritage buildings fall to disrepair, new condominiums are slated to go up in their stead, prompting outcry from preservationists.

October 9, 2008 - Toronto Star

The Enduring Popularity of Levittown, and Why It is So Hard to Replicate

Author and urbanist Witold Rybczynski looks at new housing in the aftermath of World War II compared to today. Why are new houses so much more expensive now than they were then?

October 7, 2008 - The Wilson Quarterly

Mexico Fighting Police Corruption Through Homeownership

Officials in Mexico are looking to crack down on rampant police corruption with an unlikely carrot: mortgages.

October 7, 2008 - Associated Press

Reconsidering the Trailer Park

A new study finds that manufactured housing (also known as mobile homes), despite their reputation, offer important advantages for low-income households.

October 3, 2008 - HUD User

Why Affordability Matters

In this article, Erick Villagomez argues that affordable housing, by enabling urban diversity, is the key to a city's economic and social sustainability.

October 3, 2008 - re:place Magazine

Katrina Cottages Held Back by 'Red Tape'

Two years after the program's authorization, 500 cottages intended for residents displaces after Katrina have still not been built. Meanwhile, they have cropped up in Mississippi, which faced less damage overall.

October 2, 2008 - The Times-Picayune

Educating the Newly Homeless Youth

As their numbers increase, students from homeless families face a slew of new challenges to their education. Some families, this article reports, don’t even know that they still have a right to an education after losing their home.

October 2, 2008 - NPR

Fight Over Affordable Housing on the Vineyard

A small businessman on Martha's Vineyard is attempting to build affordable housing for his workers on the island, but neighbors aren't pleased. 'I don't want to feel like I'm in the city,' says one.

October 1, 2008 - Boston Globe

Specialty Shops Raise Home Values

A recent study of home values in Portland finds that close proximity to such amenities as specialty grocery stores and movie theaters can raise values as much as 20%.

October 1, 2008 - The Portland Tribune

Incomes to Mix in New L.A. Housing Plan

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is planning to propose a $5 billion housing plan for the city that focuses on mixed-income development and locations near transit. Some applaud the move, but others worry it may not be feasible.

September 30, 2008 - Los Angeles Times

Foreclosed and Disenfranchised?

Thousands of Americans who have lost their homes in the foreclosure crisis may find themselves ineligible to vote in November.

September 29, 2008 - The New York Times

Suburbia and Pig Farms: It Stinks

The suburbs of Tewksbury, MA, a quaint New England town, have developed uncomfortably close to one of the largest pig farms in the state.

September 26, 2008 - Boston Globe

Bringing Energy Efficiency to Section 8 Housing

Seven very low-income housing complexes in New Mexico have been renovated to be more energy efficient. The work was made possible by a nonprofit partnership that works in part to put money back in low-income residents' pockets.

September 24, 2008 - Albuquerque Journal

Suburbs The New Ground Zero For Homelessness

Homelessness is on the rise in metropolitan Vancouver, but the numbers are most significant in the suburbs.

September 24, 2008 - Langley Times

In Wake of Hurricane, New Beachfront Property Faces Seizure

An obscure law in Texas outlawing buildings on public beachfront could be invoked to seize hundreds of properties. Hurricane Ike has pushed the tide line closer to many homes, making them subject to the law even if they weren't damaged.

September 24, 2008 - Los Angeles Times

HUD Says 'Too Many Houses on the Market'

HUD Secretary Steven Preston said this week that the U.S. is facing a 'fundamental oversupply' of houses, which will continue to weigh down the economy.

September 21, 2008 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Tent Cities Sprouting Up All Over U.S.

Foreclosures and economic hardships have caused a proliferation of tent cities across the U.S.

September 21, 2008 - Associated Press

Foreclosure Crisis Spawning Tent Cities

Across the country the growing ranks of people made homeless in the foreclosure crisis are generating tent cities.

September 20, 2008 - CNN

Seattle's Housing Can't Handle Projected Growth

Seattle is growing, and it's going to have to start thinking about augmenting its single-family neighborhoods with more multi-unit housing if it wants to keep up with the pace of growth.

September 19, 2008 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Baghdad's Troubling Real Estate Resurgence

Property values are up in Iraq's capital, but realtors there point out that sectarian divisions are the main reason why certain areas have become desirable.

September 18, 2008 - Globe and Mail

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.