Housing

Leveraging Church Properties to Build Affordable Housing
As owners of valuable urban real estate, some churches are taking up the mandate to serve their community by using their vacant properties to provide housing for people being priced out of their homes.

When It Comes to Ending Homelessness, What Does 'Functional Zero' Really Mean?
"The idea of the word ‘functional’ in front of ‘zero’ is a reaction to the misperception that ending homelessness means no one ever experiences homelessness again."

Are We in a Housing Bubble?
As the pandemic shifts housing priorities and costs continue to soar, experts assess the potential for a crash similar to 2008's Great Recession.

Strong Demand in the First Month of Chicago's Coach House Pilot Program
The first month of a three-year pilot program that legalizes the construction and conversion of coach houses—a local form of accessory dwelling unit—is responding to strong demand in Chicago.

Oregon's Version of Project Roomkey Offers Housing to Those Who Lost Homes to Wildfires
The program funds the purchase of hotels for housing people experiencing homelessness as housing costs in the state continue to rise.

Rent Control Showdown in Minnesota
Republicans in the Minnesota State Legislature ditched an effort to block voters in the Twin Cities from implementing rent stabilization laws.

U.S. Home Construction Costs Are Higher Than Ever
With demand soaring and materials in short supply, the cost of building a home has risen sharply in the last year.

Inglewood Set to Rezone Neighborhoods Near New Transit Lines
Plans for the area include thousands of new housing units, public parks, and improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

White House Reinstates Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule is back, but with one critical change that seems to respond to complaints used by Trump administration officials to rescind the rule in 2020.

Census: 7 Million Americans Are Behind on Rent
With the federal eviction moratorium due to expire at the end of the month and rent relief programs failing to reach those who need it most, an eviction crisis still looms.

Supportive Housing Bridging Venice Canals Granted Planning Commission Approval in L.A.
The mixed-use Reese Davidson Community will include 140 housing units, commercial space, and a performance space.

Nantucket Residents Pass on More Stringent Regulation of Short-Term Rentals
A recent Nantucket Town Meeting resolved a long-simmering controversy regarding short-term rentals.

What Is Regional Planning?
Regional planning addresses planning issues that cross local jurisdictional boundaries, like transportation or watershed protection. In other examples, regional planning offers a holistic approach to the interconnected systems and dynamics that shape physical and cultural landscapes.

L.A. Planners Working to Shift Affordable Housing Distribution for More Equitable Results
Almost all the affordable housing development in L.A. in the past decade has occurred in majority-minority neighborhoods. The L.A. Department of City Planning is looking for ways to make sure high-income areas do more of their fair share.

Homeless New Yorkers Lead a Push for Better Rental Vouchers
Until recently, New York City's local housing vouchers only covered about $1,250 in rent; the median rent on a NYC apartment is $2,600. Activism from current and formerly homeless New Yorkers helped change that.

Eviction Records Follow People Around for Years. This Isn’t Fair.
Op-ed: Even for people who have never been evicted, the stain of merely an eviction filing can lock people out of quality housing for years.

How Zoning Discrimination Still Affects Canadian Cities
Policies that encouraged urban segregation and led to the displacement and disenfranchisement of communities of color continue to reverberate in Canada's urban centers.

How the 'Financialization of Housing' is Physically Changing Cities
The increasing investment value of real estate has led to tangible changes in the way buildings are designed and function, one author argues.

900 Affordable Housing Units on Multiple Sites Planned by San Francisco
The city has selected developers for an ambitious approach to affordable housing development on nine sites across the city.

Texas Metros Lead Residential Building Permit Activity in 2020; Atlanta, Phoenix Also in the Top 5
A new report quantifies the number of housing units in the development pipelines in metropolitan areas around the United States.
Pagination
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service