housing affordability

Washington, D.C. Apartment Building

Is the Height Act Responsible for D.C.'s Sky High Housing Prices?

The Height Act is up for debate again in Washington, D.C., amidst an emotional debate about housing affordability.

December 19, 2019 - WAMU

Ontario, Canada

Plan for 40,000 New Affordable Homes Approved in Toronto

An ambitious plan to build 40,000 new affordable housing units in the next ten years will require the support of local politicians as well as elected officials at the provincial and federal levels.

December 19, 2019 - The Star

Houston, Texas

Rents Grow Fastest in Houston's Opportunity Zones

Rents have grown as much as 28 percent in the last year over the past year in the neighborhood of Midtown in Houston.

December 18, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Dangerous Fun

A New Strategy for Attracting Big City Millennials: Build Ax-Throwing Bars

Two New Jersey suburbs of New York City are taking an interesting approach to attracting New York City Millennials looking for refuge from the high cost of rent in the Big Apple.

December 18, 2019 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

North Carolina State Capital

New Mayor in Raleigh Calls for an Affordable Housing 'Moon Shot'

There's a necessity for Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin's affordable housing ambition: average rents are rising faster than the national average in the North Carolina city.

December 15, 2019 - The Raleigh News & Observer

Oceanside

Public Opinion Souring on Housing in California

New survey data shows more Californians are considering leaving the state in response to skyrocketing housing prices.

December 13, 2019 - Public Policy Institute of California

Washington D.C. Row Houses

'Gentle Density' to Save Neighborhoods

Cities looking to follow Minneapolis's lead in overturning the status quo of exclusionary zoning should consider "gentle density," according to this article.

December 8, 2019 - Brookings

Minneapolis

Inclusionary Zoning Set for Council Vote in Minneapolis

The Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan has attracted so much attention for its changes to single-family zoning, the inclusionary zoning recommended by the plan has flown under the radar.

December 3, 2019 - StarTribune

Apartment Housing

Don't Miss the Middle: The Critical Role of Moderate-Priced Housing to Affordability

To increase affordability communities should support moderate-priced housing development. This increases housing options for middle-income households, and for lower-income through filtering, as households move from low- to moderate-priced units.

December 1, 2019 - Todd Litman

Los Angeles 110 Freeway

L.A. Crafting Legislation for 'Anti-Displacement Zones'

The idea that new development results in rising costs for renters in the surrounding neighborhood drives a new effort in Los Angeles.

November 21, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

New York Development

Measuring the Effect of Zoning on Housing Prices

Recent political interest in local land use regulations requires a thorough and nuanced understanding of the strengths and limitations of the methodologies available for measuring the effects of zoning.

November 6, 2019 - Brookings

Cupertino, California

Apple Pledges $2.5 Billion for Housing Affordability

It's been a big year for tech giants pledging money to mitigate the affordability crisis in the regions and cities they call home. Apple joins a club that includes Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.

November 4, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Washington

Luxury Condos, Not Luxury Single-Family Homes, Take the Blame in the Affordability Debate

An article in The Urbanist suggests the ire over new developments is misplaced.

October 31, 2019 - The Urbanist

facebook

Facebook Offers $1 Billion to Ease California's Housing Affordability Crisis

Facebook joins as Google in the $1 billion club, though this club plans to spend that money on housing programs to help alleviate the exploding cost of housing in the state of California.

October 22, 2019 - The Mercury News

South Mall Parking Lot

How Parking Reform Could Relieve the Housing Crisis

The benefits of equitable mobility policy will extend to equitable housing outcomes, according to this article published by Sidewalk Labs.

October 22, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Canadian Election

More Than One North American Political Campaign Ignoring Housing and Transit

When it comes to ignoring matters of housing affordability and public transit during an election cycle of great significance, the United States is not the exception. Candidates in Canada's 2019 Federal Election have mastered the same trick.

October 19, 2019 - The Star

Senior Housing

Housing Inequality More Apparent in Older Populations

A new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University digs into the housing market for older Americans, finding more evidence of a widening gap between each end of the wealth spectrum.

October 17, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

residential Neighborhood

McMimpact Fee Proposed

Should there be an extra fee for property owners who tear down an existing single-family home and replace it with a much larger, more expensive single-family home?

October 17, 2019 - WAMU

Tenants' Rights

Why the Poor Cannot Move: It's Not Just the (Official) Rent

A discussion of the book Evicted, and in particular its suggestion that rent in poor neighborhoods is not much lower than the rent in middle-class areas.

October 14, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Georgetown

Zoning Stifles New Construction in D.C.'s Pricey Neighborhoods

New research by Jenny Schuetz shows that already-expensive neighborhoods in D.C., zoned for low-density single-family homes, are not doing their part in adding new supply to meet rising demand.

October 14, 2019 - Brookings

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.