For households looking for three bedrooms or more, finding rental units in walkable places is harder than ever.

“As former warehouse districts become playgrounds for college grads rather than toddlers and yesterday's streetcar suburbs become today's targets for institutional investors' portfolios, families searching for an affordable, three-bedroom apartment accessible to public transit have found them nearly impossible to find,” write Barry Greene Jr. in Streetsblog USA.
In part, this is because “Developers typically receive less money for square footage when building three-bedroom units.” But Greene also attributes this change to cultural factors. “Increasingly, we've noticed in our own area that families with young children are being erased from the marketing of new urban residential developments, which offer amenities like dog parks, pet washing stations and even ‘listening rooms’ for music lovers rather than playgrounds or kid-friendly pools.”
This doesn’t only apply to the parents of young children. “ I share this sentiment with families taking in aging parents for care, families who chose multigenerational living for their children, and families who rely on remote or hybrid work,” Greene adds.
Greene sees several policy levers that cities could use to support more family-oriented housing. “For starters, at the absolute minimum, cities should enact zoning reforms to make three-bedroom apartments legal to build in walkable, transit-oriented areas.” Greene also suggests development incentives such as tax abatements to combat what he sees as “a frightening trend” that pushes families and children away from vibrant urban neighborhoods.
FULL STORY: Where Have All the Three-Bedrooms in Walkable Neighborhoods Gone?

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market Leans Into Pedestrian Infrastructure
After decades of debate, the market is testing a car ban in one of its busiest areas and adding walking links to the surrounding neighborhood.

The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?
In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions