Affordable Housing
Smart Planning for Economic Opportunity
The Center for Opportunity Urbanism has a wonderful goal—to improve economic opportunities for working class households—but uses terrible research to reach confusing recommendations about which policies are best. Please do better!
San Francisco Breaking Down Silos to Plan for Resilience
As San Francisco's Chief Resilience Officer, Patrick Otellini’s job is to beef up city defenses against crises—a broad mandate that has him tackling seismic safety and water security through capital planning, utilities, and housing affordability.
Escaping the Cycle of Inflated Housing Costs
In an insightful article, William Fulton unpacks the supply-demand cycle driving costs skyward in certain areas. To address the problem, new construction needs an unprecedented level of diversity.
Sacramento's Careful Approach to Legitimizing Airbnb
The battles in New York and San Francisco have cities like Sacramento preparing for the growth of the home-sharing economy.
Gentrification Concerns Raised Around 'The 606' Trail in Chicago
When an exciting and popular addition to the public realm becomes available, like it did in Chicago earlier this year with The 606 trail, concerns about gentrification and displacement are sure to follow.
Wealthy Suburbs Flout Illinois' Affordable Housing Mandate
The state of Illinois finds itself without a "stick" to enforce the mandates of its Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act. Towns have noticed and are flouting the law.
Seattle's 'Oh So Human' Hesitations About Change
Seattle's recent Housing and Livability Agenda (HALA) recommendations have created a sensational dialogue about zoning, affordability and neighborhood change. Chuck Wolfe explains how this may create an unprecedented basis for consensus in the city.
Explaining the Importance of Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning
A term you need to know.
The Failure of Preservation
Attempts to limit new construction to preserve neighborhood character are an example of "beggar thy neighbor" politics.
Op-Ed: Nashville Should Coordinate Transit, Housing Plans
Urban planning is front in center in Nashville, with a general plan update underway and a mayoral election looming on August 6. One candidate took to the editorial pages of The Tennessean to lay out a housing and transit agenda.
What's the Matter With the Planning Process?
Current planning models places housing affordability and preservation fundamentally at odds with one another. We must be willing to re-evaluate our processes if we are to truly move forward.
Houston's 'Avenue Place' Sets the Affordable Housing Bar High
A housing development in Houston's Near Northside has made a remarkable commitment to developing affordable units to populations at-risk of being pushed out by gentrification.
Airbnb and Affordable Housing, Part 2
This post discusses the argument that even if Airbnb affects an extremely small portion of the rental market, it still matters because of the low vacancy rates of some cities.
The 'Unlikely Source' of Hope for Affordable Housing: the Private Sector
The chair of the Community Development Trust makes the case for the new potential of private sector investments in affordable housing.
A Different Way to Fix California's Affordable Housing Crisis
To fix California’s housing crisis, a statewide mandate is needed that requires 20 percent of all new housing, rental units, and those for sale be set aside for low-income families, according to affordable housing developer Murtaza H. Baxamusa.
Parking, Density, and Affordable Housing in California
A bill to reduce parking minimums for residential or mixed-use developments that include affordable units passed a key Senate committee. AB 744 amends the state's density bonus law, itself controversial, that incentivizes building affordable housing.
Are Foreigners to Blame for High Housing Prices?
One common argument against allowing new housing in popular cities is that as long as rich foreigners use up the housing supply prices will never go down.
Tiny House Movement Pushing the Boundaries of Traditional Zoning
Tiny Houses on trailers are available and buyers are ready to live small, but most zoning regulations don’t allow recreational vehicles as a permanent residence. Can zoning catch up to the tiny living trend?
New Jersey Cities Dragging Feet on Court-Mandated Affordable Housing Plans
Fair housing has taken national stage in recent weeks—a Supreme Court ruling and a Department of Housing and Urban Development rule now define fair housing. The New Jersey Supreme Court has also had its say on the subject, and cities are catching up.
Report: San Francisco Bleeding Affordable Units
San Francisco loses eight affordable units for every ten it creates according to a new report by the San Francisco Planning Department.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
