This week featured good news on the economy like it was pre-2008.
The studies about the housing market and the U.S. economy were plentiful this week, and to the surprise of many of us who have been watching for awhile, there was plenty of good news to go around.
Headlining the week's data dump was new income and poverty data from the Current Population Survey report by the U.S. Census. Speaking of good news, that data reveled that between 2014 and 2015, 3.5 million Americans were lifted out of poverty. Other studies included a new way of analyzing sprawl, accounting for the low-density development that happens in existing urban areas. That new study raises tough questions about how the country builds housing that's affordable for more of the population. And because all good news is worthy of some skepticism, there is also new evidence of anxiety among many Americans about their housing security.
Finally, Brookings examines the use of federal subsidies for professional sports stadiums—otherwise known as how the taxpayers of Alaska helped finance the new Yankee Stadium.
For more information on the stories discussed in this video, see the articles below.
- U.S. Census Has Good News About Income and Poverty
- If Housing Affordability Is Top Concern, Let Metro Regions Sprawl
- Survey: Housing Anxiety Growing in the United States
- Federal Subsidy for Private Sports Stadiums Since 2000: $3.2 Billion
Read the full story: Planetizen Week in Review: September 10, 2016
U.S. Census Has Good News About Income and Poverty
Finally, some very, very good news: The U.S. Census released data that shows broad, big gains in household incomes.
Zoning Reform: Lessons From New Zealand
The island nation is mandating mid-density zoning requirements and transit-oriented development in an effort to increase housing affordability and encourage compact development.
New Poverty and Income Data Reveals a Tale of Two Types of Cities
While the country overall made progress, larger cities are making stronger gains against poverty.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello