Just across the Bay Bridge from one of the most famous examples of a broken housing market, Oakland is working to keep up with the effects of housing demand.
Sarah Karlinsky describes the efforts of Oakland, California to quell its housing crisis, after "asking rents increased more than 68 percent between 2007 and 2015."
The article reads like an executive summary for a housing plan, with background on the crisis, links to resources, and a description of each point in the city's strategy to bring balance to the city's housing market:
- Protect renters
- Take existing housing out of the speculative market
- Create new resources to build more affordable housing
- Build new market rate housing
FULL STORY: Oakland’s Plan for Facing the Housing Crisis Head On

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.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie