Cost of Living
What Makes For a 'Day 1 City'?
Can we use Jeff Bezos's distinction between "Day 1" and "Day 2" companies to compare cities? If so, Pittsburgh may be a prime example of the former.
Homeless Rates Climbing in Washington, D.C.
With rapidly rising costs of living, one study shows the number of homeless in the nation's capital is double the national average.
Comparing Energy Costs in Cities Around the Country
Residents of Rust Belt cities might pay less for housing, but they pay a lot more for energy.
Shoup Op-Ed: Planners Can Help the Poor By Reducing Parking Requirements
Put another way, Shoup's case against parking requirements is that they make life harder for the poor.
Tech Sector Makes Inroads in Portland
Low prices and a less frenetic working environment are drawing tech employees to Portland, Oregon. Gentrification may loom, but along with it may come expanded economic opportunities for the city and state.
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.
The End of the Era of Cheap Water
In many places around the country, the price of water is increasing, quickly. While the reasons for the increase vary depending on the location, common to the issue is the ability of planning to either help or hinder the problem.
Working Adults More Likely to Live with Roommates
Recent data by Zillow suggests that we might all soon be living like the Golden Girls (original author's joke).
The Charms of Affordable Cities (Not Named San Francisco or New York)
A recent post identifies a sweet spot in the urban market: affordable cities like Cincinnati and others in the Rust Belt that provide an attractive alternative to more expensive, if more famous, cities on the coasts.
Portland's Unclear Future as a Young Retirement Community
Portland's over-educated, under-employed population is largely a semi-retired community of young adults, according to some. But with rising housing prices and overall cost of living, it is unclear how Portland will retain these characteristics.
Where Have all the Affordable Cities Gone?
Angie Schmitt follows up on an earlier report by the Citizen's Budget Commission that made an argument for the affordability of cities like New York City, with its large network of cheap transportation.
New York City Ranks Highly for 'Location Affordability'
A comparative analysis by the Citizens Budget Commission provides a softer take on the "affordability crisis" making so much news in New York City. The conclusion of the study is that New York City is more affordable than many other large cities.
Gentrification Creeps North of Boston
Naomi Kooker tells of the rapidly increasing pace of gentrification in the once gritty, now expensive, Boston suburb of Somerville.
Real Estate Woes Hemorrhaging Wealth from the Middle Class
An article on the Washington Post Wonkblog shows how deeply the real estate crash impacted the wealth of the Middle Class—now on the tail end of three lost decades.
Housing Costs Driving Aspiring Musicians Out of Nashville
Boom times in Nashville have some in the Music City worried that as musicians and other artists struggle with the cost of living, the city will lose its identity as a cultural and creative capital.
The End of 'Slackerdom' in Austin (or Pittsburgh Rich vs. New York Poor)
Yes, that's a lot of cities in one headline. But recent urbanism media has included a lot of writers lamenting the rising cost of living in formerly bohemian locales while noticing former bohemians moving to more affordable regions.
Toyota's Move from Torrance to Texas: California's Wake-Up Call?*
Toyota's April 30th announcement that it would take its headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas is proof-positive that California's high regulatory, high tax, and high cost of living environment is unfriendly to business. Or is it?
The Cost of the ‘Yuppie’ Lifestyle
Locality (a self-described "local business search site") has ranked the cost of living for the “yuppie” lifestyle in every American city. It’s no surprise that San Francisco tops the list, but how do 29 cities rank on the "Yuppie Price Index"?
New York City: More Affordable Than You'd Think, for Some
For professional-class workers with annual household incomes in the top income quintile, New York is a comparatively affordable place. A recent study attributes lower costs to competition between businesses that cater to upper-income people.
What is Your State Known For?
Renee DiResta uses Google's autocomplete feature to understand how Americans "really think about 'those people' in other states." Play with her wonderfully enlightening interactive map to view the top terms associated with each state.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
