Property Tax

Colorado Homes

Home Builders Oppose Changes to Property Tax, Mortgage Interest Deductions

The National Association of Home Builders has decided that the Republican tax reform proposal would lower property values.

November 1, 2017 - USA Today

For Rent

Study: Urban Renters Move Often, and Voluntarily

The usual narrative of gentrification and displacement often assumes a static population. According to this study, urban renters move around very frequently, and most (but not all) of their moves are voluntary.

October 17, 2017 - City Observatory

Gentrification

Property Tax Relief for Longtime Residents Impacted by Gentrification

The city of Lexington in Kentucky is looking for ways to insulate long-time residents from rising property tax bills.

October 2, 2017 - Lexington Herald Leader

City of Kigali, Rwanda

Property Tax in Africa

The rapidly growing and urbanizing continent of Africa offers lessons in property tax.

July 21, 2017 - At Lincoln House

Property Tax Assessment Shake Up in Wisconsin

A highly anticipated decision by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court has stakeholders scrambling to anticipate changes to the property tax system.

July 18, 2017 - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Southeast Michigan's RTA Could Trim its Footprint to Build Support for Transit Funding

One way to get a transit funding tax plan approved is just to cut outlying areas out of transit taxes, and transit planning, entirely.

July 11, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

University of Chicago

Should Rich Non-Profits Pay Property Tax?

Illinois' debt is teetering on the brink junk status and, while it's struggling, rich non-profits like Northwestern University continue to buy up expensive land while paying no property taxes.

July 10, 2017 - Chicago Tribune

Century City

L.A. Country Clubs Taking More Than Their Share and Paying Less

Malcom Gladwell takes on the racial and environmental problems related to the game of golf, particularly as it relates to L.A. property taxes and the Ship of Theseus.

June 16, 2017 - Revisionist History

Chicago

Cook County Property Taxes Cheat the Poor

In Cook County, which contains the city of Chicago and some of its suburbs, property values have been manipulated to disguise the value of homes, helping the rich at the expense of the poor (particularly poor minorities).

June 10, 2017 - The Chicago Tribune

Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona

Comparing the Differences in Property Taxes Around the United States

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence have released their annual "50-State Property Tax Comparison Study."

May 24, 2017 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Homeless Services

Sales Tax, Not Property Tax, Preferred Funding Tool for Seattle's Homeless Crisis

Seattle's King County is home to an estimated 10,000 unsheltered homeless people. Local officials are trying to figure out how to raise the funds to address the crisis.

April 6, 2017 - KUOW

Paris Trees

Paris Targets Vacant Second Homes With 60% Tax

7.5 percent of homes in the French capital have no one living in them.

March 31, 2017 - Better Dwelling

Staten Island Ferry

State Legislation to Pressure New York City for Property Tax Reform

New York City's property tax system is a growing source of political consternation, and now state legislators have entered the fray.

March 27, 2017 - SI Live

Texas State Capital

Texas Bill to Slow Property Tax Increases Advances

The Texas Senate has approved Senate Bill 2, which would require a vote to raise property taxes beyond 5 percent—lowered from the current threshold of 8 percent.

March 23, 2017 - Dallas News

Apartments

China Still Lacking Property Taxes

A growing movement to implement a nationwide property tax in China is meeting resistance from the rich and powerful.

March 22, 2017 - The Wall Street Journal

Detroit Bioretention Garden

Detroit Completes Citywide Property Tax Reappraisal

It's counterintuitive, but in Detroit, the hope is that by lowering property taxes, the city might actually collect more in property taxes.

January 25, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

Amazon Fresh Truck

Amazon Weakening Communities and Local Governments, Report Finds

Amazon is placeless. The company doesn't have a physical presence, create jobs, or pay taxes in most of the places where it does business — and it's having a profound impact on the health of cities and towns, a new report finds.

December 13, 2016 - Institute for Local Self-Reliance

God Rides BART

Bay Area Sends Mixed Message on BART Funding

BART won big on election night with the passage of Measure RR, a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond measure. But the San Francisco Chronicle observes that results from two other local ballot measures suggest a mixed message on the rapid transit system.

December 2, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Seattle Streetcar

Seattle's HUGE Transit Victory on Election Day

In dollars, Seattle region's Proposition 1 was second only to Measure M, a $120 billion sales tax measure in Los Angeles County, although the comparison is lacking in at least three respects. Prop 1 did not pass in all three Puget Sound counties.

November 21, 2016 - The Seattle Times

Donald Trump

Election Roundup: Planning's Big Day at the Ballot Box

Beyond the headline-grabbing presidential election, many states and localities voted on issues critical to the planning profession.

November 9, 2016 - James Brasuell

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.