A Methodist reverend has a vision of a portable living space for aging seniors that could be set up in a family's backyard. Local officials worry about them becoming permanent if zoning changes.
The Reverend Kenneth Dupin calls them MEDcottages, but the nickname "granny pod" has stuck, particularly among critics.
"Is it a good idea to throw people into a storage container and put them in your back yard?" said Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff C. McKay (D-Lee). "This is the granny pod. What's next? The college dropout pod?"
Dupin has been successful in getting the Virginia General Assembly to pass a law that supersedes local zoning laws in allowing the granny pods.
FULL STORY: Va. launching portable housing for aging relatives
Atlanta Approves Funding for 500 ‘Micro’ Housing Units
The city is promoting quick-build, low-cost solutions to stem the homelessness crisis.
California Pledges to Provide 1,200 ‘Tiny Homes’ for Unhoused Residents
Critics of the plan say the effort is a drop in the bucket in a state where tens of thousands of people experience homelessness every night.
Old San Diego Library to Become Shelter
The long-disused Central Library will accommodate 26 unhoused residents starting later this month.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions