The recent glut of luxury development, gentrification, and high rents has been frequently condemned. But what factors affecting affordability might that discussion miss?
In response to stories like this one from the New York Times, Stephen Smith argues that the press is missing the point. High-end developments, pieds-à-terre, and gentrification, Smith argues, are only partially responsible for a deficit of affordable real estate.
The article asserts that middle-income immigrant demand has created a competitive rental market in districts where white gentrifiers have not settled. A fixation with astronomically-priced condos is misplaced: "with three-quarters of the housing units in East New York being rented out, it’s rental rates, not sales prices, that are the real cause of concern when it comes to rising housing costs."
Another of Smith’s problems with gentrification-focused reporting: statistics cited by those articles "lumped together all non-primary residences, whether they were truly empty pieds-à-terre, or merely condos that were rented out—a somewhat interesting phenomenon, but nowhere near as controversial as apartments that actually sit empty." He calls out the press for sensationalizing an influx of "yuppies" and "oligarchs."
Read the full story: The Media’s Unproductive Obsession With Oligarchs and Gentrifiers
Push and Pull: The Link Between Walkability and Affordability
The increased demand for walkable urban spaces could make them more and more exclusionary if cities don’t pursue policies to limit displacement and boost affordability.
Market Rate Condos Could Replace Harlem Towers Proposal
After facing community opposition and a call for more deeply affordable housing units, developers withdrew their proposal for Harlem’s One45, prompting questions about the future of the site.
When Costs of Living Outpace Housing Costs
Even when they qualify for affordable rents, tenants in high-cost neighborhoods find themselves shut out of essential amenities and services.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority