Dormitories

Fact Sheet: What Is a Housing Unit? What Are Group Quarters?
Most people live in housing units. But what counts as a housing unit? This article clarifies the basic concepts and provides examples using the Census Bureau’s guidelines. A clear definition is prerequisite for understanding an area's housing stock.

Dormitory Planning Takes a Turn Toward the Absurd at UC Santa Barbara
A controversy over a massive new dorm proposed for the University of California Santa Barbara, which comes with design strings attached by the donor paying for the new facility, has taken the Internet by storm.

Coronavirus Wastewater Testing Yields Positive Results at Universities
Wastewater testing is being hailed as a success at the University of Arizona, credited for stopping a COVID outbreak. In Utah, wastewater analysis forced almost 300 students to quarantine for four days while awaiting their test results.

The Singapore Exception
Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were credited early in the pandemic with having successfully contained the coronavirus without resorting to lockdowns. However, Singapore lost its standing in that elite group. Crowding vs. density may explain why.

Nation's Largest Student Housing Project Breaks Ground
Located at the University of California, Davis, The Green at West Village is set to house nearly 3,300 students. The development includes nine four-story buildings, community space, and recreational fields.

Foreign Firm Wants to Bring Privately Run Student Housing to Boston
The British firm Scape says it wants to spend $1 billion to build privately operated student housing in Boston. Unaffiliated with any one school, the concept is already popular in London.

Should Students Be Zoned Out?
Although suburbs with college campuses are often eager to zone out students, this sort of exclusionary zoning has its own negative side effects.
Architects of Green Dorm Ban Mini-Fridges, Microwaves
Perkins + Will, the architecture firm behind a new residence hall at Bridgewater State University, have attached an unusual provision to their green design: no mini-fridges or personal microwaves allowed.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Helena
Lassen County Planning and Building Services
City of San Carlos
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.