Housing

Apartment buildings in San Diego, California

Report: California Renter Protections Falling Short

New research reveals that the state’s rent cap law is stymied by a lack of transparency and toothless enforcement.

September 29, 2022 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin District with tents on sidewalk

Sacramento Voters to Decide on Using Lawsuits to Reclaim Sidewalks

Measure O may be one of the first ballot measures of its kind to empower residents to take legal action against a city for illegal encampments on city property. The Sacramento City Council voted 7-2 on August 9 to place the ordinance before voters.

September 29, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Modern small-lot homes in north Dallas suburb

How the Drive for Profit Flattens the American Landscape

Mass-market production and the commodification of housing has led to a ‘flattening’ of design into a limited set of bland, homogeneous options.

September 29, 2022 - The Dallas Morning News

View of street in Pasadena, California with church at left and city hall in background

‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ Movement Wins in Pasadena

Houses of worship in the California city will be allowed to build housing on their properties in an effort to alleviate the city’s housing shortage.

September 28, 2022 - The Real Deal

First-Time Buyers

The Vanishing American ‘Starter Home’

Rising land costs, expensive materials, and onerous building and lot size requirements are making it harder to build small, affordable ‘starter homes’ in the United States.

September 28, 2022 - The New York Times

For sale sign with SOLD sign pasted over it in front of white suburban house

Remote Work a Key Factor in the Rise of Home Prices

The shift to work-from-home policies drove more than 60 percent of the dramatic recent growth in U.S. house prices, according to a Fed study.

September 28, 2022 - Bloomberg

View of Seattle skyline with houses in foreground

Community Land Trusts Make Homeownership Accessible

The organizations sell homes to low-income buyers at rates far below market prices, putting homeownership within reach for more families.

September 27, 2022 - Next City

View of Houston freeway with bus, cars, and downtown skyline in background

Houston Metro Seeks Proposals for Transit-Oriented Development

The agency will assess ways to more effectively use its surface parking lots and encourage more mixed-use development near transit hubs.

September 27, 2022 - Houston Chronicle

Building Heights and Step-Backs

When Taller Buildings Don’t Mean More Density

Some New York City developers are building low-density luxury high-rises that, in some cases, have fewer units than the buildings they replaced.

September 27, 2022 - The New York Times

Housing construction in Austin, Texas

The Uphill Battle to Build Housing in Austin

NIMBYism in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities contributes to a severe housing shortage and soaring housing costs.

September 26, 2022 - Texas Monthly

Screenshot of gameplay window with popup: "Error. Can't build in NIMBYville!"

A NIMBY Simulator Pokes Fun at All-Too-Real Issues

A classic game gets a sardonic update for the modern world.

September 25, 2022 - Bloomberg Culture

A family exits from a rowhouse. Picture is identifiably from the 1980s based on the clothing fashion of the family.

Is it a Rowhouse, or a Rowhome?

Philadelphia has long been acknowledged as the capital of rowhouses in the United States. It’s becoming more common for those rowhouses to be referred to as rowhomes.

September 25, 2022 - BillyPenn

Floodwaters and damaged road in Yellowstone National Park

How the Yellowstone Floods Laid Bare a Housing Crisis

This year’s historic floods ravaged communities already roiled by spiking housing costs and a shortage of available workforce housing near the nation’s oldest national park.

September 23, 2022 - High Country News

Suburban Homes

Where Housing Costs Are Falling Fastest

Although median home prices remain close to record highs in many cities, some of the country’s priciest metro areas are seeing home prices plummet.

September 23, 2022 - Bloomberg

San Francisco Apartments

A Who’s Who of Bay Area Real Estate

An analysis from the San Francisco Chronicle identifies twelve of the biggest and most influential owners of rental properties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

September 22, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

California State Capital

California Continues its Housing Policy Reinvention

It’s no longer business as usual in California when it comes to planning and developing housing.

September 22, 2022 - The New York Times

Denver

Denver Announces Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot

Residents who have experienced homelessness will receive monthly cash payments to help them find and stay in stable, long-term housing.

September 22, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Denver Region

A New Urban Growth Boundary for Metro Denver

Douglas County’s master plan indicates that areas south of current development will likely remain preserved through conservation initiatives, but the metro area’s booming population indicates that growth will continue to happen, somewhere.

September 21, 2022 - The Denver Post

Orange Line train pulling into station with one woman waiting to board in Boston, Massachusetts

When Transit-Oriented Development Is Missing the ‘Transit’

Cities, residents, and developers have a renewed interest in building more housing near transit stations—when they actually provide safe, reliable transit.

September 21, 2022 - Boston Globe

Close-up of reel-to-reel tape recorder with hand turning knob

Press ‘Record’ To Catch Fair Housing Violators—If You Can

Fair housing testers often go undercover to expose discriminatory housing practices, but laws prohibiting recording conversations hamper investigations.

September 20, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

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.