Affordable Housing

Hotel California

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.

August 18, 2015 - Sacramento Business Journal

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.

August 13, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

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.

August 11, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

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.

August 9, 2015 - Crosscut

Affordable housing

Explaining the Importance of Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning

A term you need to know.

August 8, 2015 - New York Magazine

Condo Development

The Failure of Preservation

Attempts to limit new construction to preserve neighborhood character are an example of "beggar thy neighbor" politics.

August 5, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

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.

August 4, 2015 - The Tennessean

No Luxury Condos

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.

August 4, 2015 - Reuben Duarte

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.

July 23, 2015 - The Urban Edge

Hotel California

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.

July 21, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

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.

July 18, 2015 - American Banker

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.

July 17, 2015 - UrbDeZine

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.

July 16, 2015 - Streetsblog California

Central Park Aerial

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.

July 14, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Tiny House

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?

July 11, 2015 - The Charlotte Observer

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.

July 11, 2015 - The Star-Ledger

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.

July 9, 2015 - San Francisco Business Times

Surprise Survey Finding on Density in the Bay Area

San Francisco and the Bay Area, known for their exorbitant housing prices and not unrelated, strong NIMBY attitudes, could be softening their opposition toward increasing density in their neighborhoods.

July 6, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

New Orleans Aerial

New Orleans Public Housing in Decade-Long Stall

In the aftermath of Katrina, President Obama's Choice Neighborhoods initiative promised thousands of new affordable units. But so far the Housing Authority of New Orleans hasn't proved up to the task.

July 6, 2015 - Next City

California First: Carbon Fees Used to Fund Affordable, Transit-Oriented Housing

On June 29, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $121.9 million in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds to help build 28 affordable housing developments on major transit lines. Funding originates from proceeds of the cap-and-trade market.

July 6, 2015 - PR Newswire

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

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.