The National Trust for Historic Preservation's new Atlas for ReUrbanization relies on a metric called "character" to explore the relationship between historic preservation and affordability.
Laura Bliss reports on a new set of maps from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that offers a "data-driven perspective" to the question of the effect of historic preservation on housing affordability.
"The Atlas of ReUrbanism charts 50 U.S. cities by the 'character' of their building stock," explains Bliss. Yes, the word "character" is charged in urbanist politics, but for the purposes of the Atlas of ReUrbanism, however, the word measures "the median age of buildings, the diversity of age of the buildings, and the size of buildings and parcels…"
The Atlas illustrates the perhaps unsurprising conclusion that "high-character blocks tend to have higher shares and numbers of affordable units of rental housing, compared to low-scoring blocks," writes Bliss, before noting that Kyle Shelton applied the Atlas to Philadelphia's example and nonetheless found some surprising results. Bliss concludes the article by making a few suggestions about how the tool could be improved.
FULL STORY: Mapping the Value of Neighborhood 'Character'
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
High Housing Costs Driving Down Transit Ridership in LA
When neighborhoods gentrify and displace lower-income residents, transit ridership suffers, new research shows.
NYC Council Approves Brooklyn Rezoning Plan
The Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use Plan includes infrastructure investments and could bring 4,600 new housing units to parts of Brooklyn.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
This City Will Pay You to Meet Your Neighbors
A North Kansas City grant program offers up to $400 for residents to throw neighborhood block parties.
Commentary: Our Silence Will Not Protect Us
Keeping our heads down and our language inoffensive is not the right response to the times we’re in. Solidarity and courage is.
Good Cause Eviction Policies Don’t Hamper Construction, New Research Shows. Legislators Are Still Concerned.
Multiple states have ongoing pushes for good cause eviction protections. A frequent obstacle: a now disproven claim by developers.
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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