You can pay off the mortgage, but you can never leave.
Candace Jackson contributes an article for the New York Times Sunday Review that digs into the emergence of the extra room—call it an accessory dwelling unit or a granny flat—as a necessary amenity in American homes.
A decade ago, a dream home was designed to wow your friends and neighbors. Today, it’s designed to house your relatives. Or your Airbnb guests. And also be your workplace. Homebuilders say one of the biggest selling points in 2018 isn’t a three-car garage or a grand entryway — it’s a home with flexibility.
In the post-recession housing boom (or crisis, depending on your position in the market), "the American dream home is one you never have to leave," according to Jackson.
To prove the point, Jackson tours home designed by Lennar in Elk Grove, California, just outside of Sacramento. But the article also expands to larger themes such as the defining characteristics of home construction and ownership ten years after the Great Recession.
FULL STORY: The New American Dream Home Is One You Never Have to Leave
Cincinnati ADU Legalization Slow to Catch On
Only four permits have been filed since the city made ‘granny flats’ legal last year.
Austin Could Legalize Tiny Homes, RVs as ADUs
Expanding the types of homes eligible as accessory dwelling units could help more homeowners afford the construction costs.
U.S. Home Sales to Foreign Buyers Drop by Almost 10 Percent
International purchases of homes on the U.S. housing market slowed in the last year.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association