Affordable Housing

Affordable housing

The Limitations of Inclusionary Zoning Explained

Josh Barro examines the possible use of inclusionary zoning to generate affordable housing stock in the city of New York City finding that the only way to build more affordable units is by increasing density.

June 22, 2014 - New York Times

A Growing Body of Knowledge Examines Unauthorized Housing in Los Angeles

An academic look at unauthorized housing in the Los Angeles area: Interview of Jacob Wegmann by Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan Bell

June 21, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Scrambling to Fund and Build Housing for Shale Boom Workers

"The drilling industry boom in places like Washington County [Pennsylvania] has squeezed the housing market, especially among those looking for lower-priced apartments and homes," reports Stephanie Ritenbaugh.

June 17, 2014 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Greenfield Multi-Family

Supply, Demand, and Affordable Housing

Bill Witte, president of Related California, one of the most active developers of residential and commercial properties on the West Coast, talks about real estate, affordable housing, and a squeezed middle class with The Planning Report.

June 8, 2014 - The Planning Report

Homelessness as a Watershed Issue in San Jose

San Jose's attractive urban waterways, especially Coyote Creek, house over 1200 people living in about 66 illicit encampments, all without sanitation. It's clear that clean water and housing needs are connected. What that means is up for debate.

June 2, 2014 - California Planning & Development Report

On the Unintended Consequences of Inclusionary Zoning

"Affordable housing policies have a long history of hurting the very people they are said to help," says Emily Washington, citing public housing and rent control as evidence. She would also add inclusionary zoning to the list of failed policies.

June 1, 2014 - Market Urbanism

De Blasio Moving Forward with New York City's Largest Housing Development in Three Decades

Although the Hunter's Point South was a Bloomberg-era proposal, the de Blasio Administration last week released an RFP for $100 million in construction to build the infrastructure and public amenities necessary to support the project.

May 30, 2014 - Crain's Business New York

Bill Would Except Marin County from California Affordable Housing Mandate

A bill to create an exception for Marin County for meeting it's state affordable housing requirements is sailing through the legislature and even has the support of affordable housing developers.

May 30, 2014 - Marin Independent Journal

How are California’s Bullet Train and Affordable Housing Connected?

California Gov. Brown’s support of high speed rail contrasts sharply with his gutting of affordable housing. Michael Russell, real estate developer and advisor, reviews pending bills and potential fixes for affordable housing.

May 27, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Neighborhood Graffiti

The Theory Behind NIMBYism, Part 3

When should a city give neighborhood concerns weight, and when should a state or city create clear-cut rules that limit planners' discretion to consider neighborhood concerns?

May 22, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

What The NY Times Got Wrong About Inclusionary Zoning

NY Mayor Bill de Blasio released a 10-year plan to create or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units in the city. Housing activists cheer at its embrace of mandatory inclusionary zoning, but the NY Time's coverage reveals an ignorant counter view.

May 22, 2014 - Rooflines

A Tale of Two Markets

Re-examining recent thinking on student debt as major contributor to the lousy housing market.

May 16, 2014 - CityLab

Key Questions Remain for New York City's Affordable Housing Plan

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio's recent announcements provided some important details about his administration's affordable housing agenda, there are a few questions still left to be answered that will determine the success of the plan.

May 12, 2014 - Crain's Business New York

Coit Tower

HUD Rental Assistance on an Unsustainable Path—What Can Be Done to Save It?

A "Race to the Top" proposal for HUD to help off-set the difficulties of delivering affordable housing in high-priced, high-mobility metros.

May 7, 2014 - Shane Phillips

New York Housing

'Housing New York' Would Invest $41 Billion in Affordable Housing

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the details of the "Housing New York" plan this week. The plan will guide the de Blasio Administration toward its goal of creating 200,000 affordable housing units in the city.

May 7, 2014 - New York Times

California Bill Would Fund Low-Income Housing by Charging for Real Estate Documents

A controversial bill working its way through the California Legislature would charge a $75 for recorded real estate documents, such as refinance, mechanic's lien, and foreclosure, to fund low- and moderate-income homes.

April 29, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Building Support for Affordable Housing

A recent article on PlannersWeb acts as a kind of playbook for building public support for affordable housing projects.

April 14, 2014 - PlannersWeb

Optimism Indicator: Record Number of Building Permits in Philadelphia

Observers of Philadelphia’s economic and social situation can celebrate, and worry, given recent data on issues like poverty, crime, and the job market. One bright spot, however, is 2013's record number of building permits.

April 7, 2014 - philly.com

Brooklyn Bridge Beach

Architecture + Urbanism: Both/And, Not Either/Or

Looking at the trend toward interdisciplinary design practice through the work of WXY Architecture + Urban Design.

April 3, 2014 - Anna Bergren Miller

New Study Tests Assumptions About Housing Vouchers and Crime

A new paper published in the Urban Studies journal finds a weak, negative relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates. There is no observable relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates in suburban areas.

March 31, 2014 - Urban Studies

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.