Housing

Home(less) From The War

Veterans of America's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are increasingly finding themselves at risk of homelessness.

July 6, 2006 - Yahoo News

The Growing Demand For Gay Retirement Communities

Gay and lesbian seniors are increasingly seeking retirement communities that fit their lifestyle.

July 6, 2006 - USA Today

The Katrina Cottage: A New Housing Type?

Architects and builders are rushing to design and build new simple but cozy homes for storm victims living in FEMA trailers.

July 5, 2006 - Associated Press

McMansions Squeezing Out Smaller Homes

As large McMansions move into suburban areas, many of the smaller older houses are being pushed out of the neighborhood by higher taxes, or by demolition to make room for larger homes.

July 4, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

Thousands Are Displaced As Indian Slum Is Bulldozed

The Indian government has demolished a housing slum in Mumbai, displacing thousands. Though the government has promised replacement homes for many of the slum's documented citizens, thousands without documentation are now also without homes.

July 4, 2006 - BBC

Quantifying Housing's Hidden Transportation Bill

The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index is a new tool calculates affordability at the census tract level by taking into account not only housing costs, but transportation as well.

July 3, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

1950s Ranch Homes Making A Resurgance

A once maligned housing style is returning into fashion.

July 2, 2006 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

'Lofty' Visions For Historic Urban Center

The historic downtown of Santa Ana, CA, is being transformed with lofts, concerts, and an experimental music festival featuring a "carchestra".

June 30, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

North Carolina Wetlands Protected, For A Moment

A recent change in the method of calculating the size of developable land took the state's wetlands out of the acreage. The result could have been vastly expanded stormwater-runoff infrastructure requirements for developers. But it wasn't.

June 30, 2006 - The Raleigh-Durham Independent Weekly

In Seattle, Detached Garages May Be Approved For Apartments

With an aim toward affordable housing and helping homeowners pay their mortgage, Seattle considers allowing backyard apartments, much to the chagrin of local opponents.

June 30, 2006 - The Seattle Times

City Chooses Economic Development Over Environment

Planning commissioners in the City of Tracy cite a CEQA provision as they choose the environmentally un-friendly alternative -- a sprawling subdivision of 500 new homes.

June 29, 2006 - Tracy Press

Which Metro Areas Have The Strongest Housing Price Appreciation?

A summary look at why the housing affordability crisis continues to exist in major metro areas of the country.

June 29, 2006 - USA Today

Looking For Retail Along Indy Waterfront

Developers in Indianapolis want to bring retail to its downtown canal, an area already busy with visitors and concentrated with housing. They're looking at San Antonio's River Walk for inspiration and advice.

June 28, 2006 - The Indianapolis Star

UN Reports On Housing Policies Of Developing Countries

The report looks at the largest cities in developing countries and measures their growth and development. Cities such as Cairo have been praised for improvements to utilities, but criticized for not addressing the root of poverty in its slums.

June 27, 2006 - Mail & Guardian

Stockton Leaves Its Crime-Ridden Past Behind

Once rife with crime, Stockton is taking baby steps towards reducing the crime rate and attracting development to one of the Central Valley's burgeoning population centers.

June 27, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

No Housing Bubble In Canton, Ohio

Victorian houses are for sale for $6,000 in Canton. Local real estate investors flip, rent, or renovate in "the city the boom passed by".

June 27, 2006 - The New York Times

Boston Bio-Tech Hub To Develop More Housing

Though Cambridge's Kendall Square has long been a hub of employment, it has always lacked a significant residential component. With several projects in the pipeline, that is about to change.

June 27, 2006 - The Boston Globe

Reducing Ecological Footprints In A House Of Hay

One man's Connecticut home has no electricity, heating, air-conditioning, running water, or even conventional walls. He's made a structure of hay and stucco his home for 20 years, and his meager lifestyle causes little or no harm to the environment.

June 24, 2006 - The Hartford Courant via The Chicago Tribune

Developing The Un-Park In San Francisco's Presidio

A stream of high-dollar developments have been popping up in San Francisco's Presidio, a former Army base and currently the only park in the National Park Service's collection that is operated privately. Some feel the developments don't fit the site.

June 23, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Urban Gentrification Typifies Growing Economic Polarization

A snapshot of urban gentrification in San Francisco shows what is happening throughout the U.S., according to a new Brookings Report. The middle class is not only losing ground, but entire neighborhoods, and the consequences are far-reaching.

June 23, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

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.

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.