Research shows that homes in communities of color are consistently undervalued by, in some cases, over $1 million.

The racial gap in home appraisals is present and growing in every major U.S. city, with homes in predominantly white neighborhoods appraised at almost triple the values of homes in neighborhoods made up of people of color, report Brentin Mock and Marie Patino for Bloomberg CityLab.
According to new research from University of Illinois Chicago sociologist Junia Howell that seeks to isolate racial factors in home appraisals, “These disparities stem from a number of causes, including historic discriminatory practices and the modern appraisal approaches that perpetuate them. But they can also reflect prejudices on the part of appraisers.”
In expensive cities like San Francisco and New York, the difference in average appraisals topped $1 million, signaling a huge loss of potential wealth-building opportunities for Black and brown families. “In other less-expensive metro areas like Charleston, South Carolina, the dollar differences were lower, but the disparity was even worse.”
The industry is starting to acknowledge the problem. “In 2021, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation released a study that found that housing appraisal discrimination is ‘pervasive’ throughout the industry. The conversation now among federal authorities and appraisal professionals is how to craft reforms to root it out.”
FULL STORY: Racial Disparities in Home Appraisals Exist in Every Major US City

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

Who Benefits Most from Land Conservation Efforts?
A new study estimates that recent land conservation generated $9.8 billion in wealth nationally through the housing market and that wealthier and White households benefited disproportionately.

Richmond Repeals Parking Minimums, Encourages Off-Street Parking and Transit
The Virginia city is replete with underused off-street parking lots, which city councilors hope to make available for parking at more times while encouraging transit use.

Lack of Multi-Family Zones Contributes to Nashville’s High Housing Costs, Study Says
Nashville and surrounding communities allow for a relatively small amount of multi-family housing, according to a new zoning atlas of Middle Tennessee. A regionally focused nonprofit is using the atlas to push for zoning reforms.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
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.