As the housing market roars back to life, the price of "dirt", or developable land, is surging in America's most desirable areas - including the outer suburbs. A shortage of lots is said to be hampering the housing recovery.
"The latest land rush is in full swing," writes Shaila Dewan, "as developers realize that they have failed to feed the zoning, permitting and mapping pipeline, which can take months or years to turn raw fields into buildable lots. They are realizing another thing, too: they have been sorely missed."
“For the first time, I’ve seen cities want to work to help figure it out, rather than doing us a favor all the time to let us develop,” said Scott Carlston of Hunter Emerson, a development partnership.
“We have gone from a situation where five years ago everyone was saying, ‘There’s too many lots,’ to today, builders are literally crying on our shoulder saying, ‘There’s not enough lots. We can’t find any,’” said Bradley F. Hunter, the chief economist at MetroStudy.
FULL STORY: Prices Are Rising for New Homes, and the Land They Are Built On
Boomers Drive Home Sales; Millennials Still on the Sidelines
Bloomberg produced an article describing what it sees as the dominant narrative of the for-sale housing market as the country slowly emerges from the recession and adjusts to its new demographic realities.
Why Phoenix's Housing Recovery Is Bad News for Some
As one of the cities most effected by the housing crash, one would think the recovery of Phoenix's real estate market would be cause for widespread celebration. But a confluence of factors is making it hard for many to find a place to live.
What’s in a Name? Investors vs. Speculators
We don’t often make a clear distinction between investors and speculators, which makes it harder to identify harmful behavior — and to find solutions for it.
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
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Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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