Housing

Suburbs Encouraging Accessory Dwelling Units
Renton, a suburb of Seattle dealing with skyrocketing housing prices like many of the communities in the region, is allowing new density in residential neighborhoods in the form of backyard cottages.

The Front Porch: A Space of Deep Meaning for African-Americans
Much more than just an extension of a house, the porch has long been a place of safety, intimacy, and communality.

That's Mixed-Use: Housing on Top of a Bus Yard
San Francisco could try a new trick to help kill two birds with one stone.

Judge Upholds Seattle's Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, Clears the Way for Upzoning
Since a city judge determined the legality of the long controversial Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, Seattle has been able to move forward with the plan to allow new density around the city.

How Residential Architecture Got So Cookie Cutter
While it's fun to tease about the architectural shortcomings of most newly constructed urban residential buildings in the United States, the causes of its ubiquitous sameness reveals the depths of the country's housing crisis.

New Orleans Wants to Loosen Zoning Restrictions in the Lower 9th Ward
New Orleans could make it easier to build new homes on small lots in the struggling Lower 9th Ward.

The Affordable Housing Game Has Changed in Oregon
There are a lot of financial, and legal, reasons to get the rethink the city of Portland's approach to affordable housing funding.

SB 827: Part 2
California State Senator Scott Wiener has released the highly anticipated follow up to last year's failed bombshell of a housing bill, SB 827.

New Property Tax Changes Proposed in California
A new bill proposed in the California legislature would cut back on the number of Prop. 13 property tax breaks handed down to heirs—who then live somewhere else.

Airbnb Getting Into the Housing Business
Correction: Airbnb is diversifying its housing business.

Can We Reduce Foreclosures by Building More Diverse Neighborhoods?
Arnab Chakraborty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Andrew McMillan of the University of Maryland College Park guest blog about a recent article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

Report: 'Segregation Tax' Depresses Home Values in Majority-Black Areas
According to a study, residential segregation and anti-black bias combine to devalue properties in majority-black neighborhoods by an average of $48,000 per home.

The New Rental Market: Get Less for More
New analysis from RENTCafe finds apartments shrinking while prices are expanding.

Kansas City Star Editorial Board Laments 'Denverization'
The Kansas City Star Editorial Board has concerns about gentrification and affordable housing.

Nashville Scored an Amazon Prize, But the Long-Term Outcomes for the City Are Less Clear
Critics say the new operations facility will make some of the city’s problems even worse.

Minneapolis 2040 Expected to Pass After Adjustments
One of the most ambitious comprehensive plans of a major city in the United States is headed to approval, after amendments and compromises garnered the necessary political support among city councilmembers.

Detroit Program Keeps Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Housed
The buyback plan diverts properties from Wayne County's tax foreclosure auction, keeping them in government hands until residents can repay the purchase price.

Millennials Choose Cities for First Homes
New research suggests that millennials are remaining in urban areas as they transition from renting to homeownership.

British Columbia Wants to Curb Mega-Mansion Construction in the Agricultural Land Reserve
Farmers around Vancouver's Agricultural Land Reserve have been building "mega-mansions" on their farmland. The province wants to limit the scale of such homes, but farmers are pushing back.

More Seniors Living in Suburban and Rural Areas; Aging-in-Place Solutions Needed
Less dense communities provide specific challenges in providing services to residents in need of extra care. More seniors living in suburban and rural communities will require new and scalable solutions.
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