Not only does the plan promise more affordable housing, it’s also supposed to deliver “access to more upwardly mobile communities."

At Next City, Jared Brey reports that early next month the Dallas City Council will vote on a plan to build 20,000 below-market-rate units, most aggressively in areas of the city where housing costs are relatively high.
“The plan is intended not only to overcome a shortage of affordable housing in the city,” Brey writes, “but to chip away at patterns of racial and economic segregation that have developed in the city over the course of decades.”
Lots of apartments are being built in and around Dallas at the moment, but the city has long struggled with segregation and equity in both housing and transit; Brey explains that several years ago it faced two major legal challenges related to the Fair Housing Act.
This plan is basically a direct response:
“It calls for a mix of public and private investment to help fund 20,000 new homes over the next three years, with slightly more than half of the homes reserved for homeownership and the rest for rental. New affordable housing production would be focused in areas with stronger markets, through zoning for increased density and loans to fill financing gaps.”
FULL STORY: Dallas Unveils Plan to Meet Fair Housing Obligations

Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.

San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.

U.S. Rental Market Crosses a New Threshold of Affordability
In a first for the country's rental market, most U.S. apartments are asking for more than $2,000 to rent, according to data recently published by Redfin.

Supreme Court Guts the U.S. EPA’s Ability to Limit Carbon Emissions
The consequences of this ruling have long been foretold. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now officially barred from the fight against climate change, Congress will have to act to reduce carbon emissions.

California Approves Revised Los Angeles Housing Element
State officials officially approved the city’s housing plan, which was initially rejected for not doing enough to enhance housing equity.

Lawsuit Could Open Public Access to Colorado Rivers
Colorado is one of few U.S. states that has decided that private property owners supersede the public when it comes to access to rivers and streams.
Town of San Anselmo
Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.