Recent winner of the Solar Decathlon's affordability category, the Empowerhouse costs under $230,000 to construct and uses an estimated 90% less energy than the typical U.S. home.
Writes Ben Schiller: "Parts of the design [a joint entry from the Parsons The New School for Design, the Milano School of International Affairs, and the Stevens Institute for Technology] is already being used by Habitat in new units it is building in the D.C. area.'We didn't want to design just one house, but something that Habitat for Humanity could replicate. So we used simple materials, and simple building methods that they would be able to use,' says Steve Scribner, a project leader, and one of 200 students working on the project."
FULL STORY: The Empowerhouse: An Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home Built By College Students
Pensacola to build first ever permanent affordable housing
The Community Land Trust development will use a shared equity model to keep homes affordable for the next 99 years.
Houston Habitat for Humanity builds modular homes in one-third the construction time of traditional houses
The nonprofit known for facilitating affordable homeownership is working to cut costs as traditional construction becomes more expensive.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
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