John Wildermuth discusses San Francisco's bounce back from a tremendous slowdown in new housing construction last year.
A new study from the San Francisco Planning Department reveals that 2011 was not kind to those looking for housing in the city. Over the course of the year, only 418 new housing units were constructed – accounting for demolitions and closures of illegal units, that's a net gain of only 269 units.
But Wildermuth notes that there's a silver lining. "Housing construction appears to be on the upswing. The Housing Inventory Report, presented to the Planning Commission Thursday, found that 1,998 units were approved for construction in 2011, 66 percent more than in 2010. In a continuing trend, 81 percent of that construction is in larger buildings of 20 or more units."
Luckily for low-income families, the majority of construction last year came in the form of affordable housing, much of which is exclusively set aside for those who earn less than half the area median income, or roughly less than $25,000 a year for a family of four.
"Despite the city's need for affordable housing, the percentage is likely to slip as construction heats up and higher-priced units become more attractive, warned Commissioner Cindy Wu."
FULL STORY: After a lull, San Francisco’s set to increase housing construction

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie