In Ireland, there's one house for every 2.35 people. According to industry experts, that's twice as many vacant homes as a normal, healthy market should have. So why then is the country considered to be in a housing crisis?

"The number of vacant homes in Ireland is at twice the level of a normal functioning marketplace," according to an article by Mark Hillard. "Today, the country has just over 2 million dwelling units for a population of 4.75 million, translating to exactly one unit for every 2.35 people."
Hillard is sharing information reported at the Joint National Housing Conference held at Dublin Castle recently. Minister of State for Housing Damien English was in attendance, giving a speech at the event, who described the counter-intuitive state of the Irish housing market: "It is a crazy situation that we have so many vacant properties and so many people who actually need a home and we have to match that up."
The rest of the article by Hillard discusses more of the large themes from the event, including calls to remake the planning and zoning models in the country. James Kelly, a conservation architect from Kelly & Cogan Architects, said the country should look to Florence, Italy "as a paradigm of a city where tradespeople worked in the same areas where people lived."
Writing for the same publication a day later, Eoin Burke-Kennedy shared the findings of a report by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) that predicts it will take a decade to match supply and demand in the country's housing market. The S&P report also sheds some light on the disconnect between vacant housing and unmet demand—the country is still emerging from the effects of the Great Recession, with high levels of household debt, though improvement has been apparent in recent years. "Economy-wide debt-to-disposable income ratio in Ireland fell to 150 per cent last year, down from 170 per cent a year earlier, and from above 230 per cent at its peak in 2009," explains Burke-Kennedy.
FULL STORY: ‘Twice as many’ empty homes in Ireland as a normal market

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.

Albuquerque’s Microtransit: A Planner’s Answer to Food Access Gaps
New microtransit vans in Albuquerque aim to close food access gaps by linking low-income areas to grocery stores, cutting travel times by 30 percent and offering planners a scalable model for equity-focused transit.

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.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
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
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)