Housing
McMansion Hell Blog in Legal Hot Water with Real Estate Site Zillow
[Updated June 29, 2017] It's been a mixed bag for viral sensation McMansion Hell. The same day as a feature video by The Washington Post, the news broke that the website is facing potential legal charges from real estate site Zillow.
The State of Affordable Housing
An in-depth feature in Architect magazine surveys the affordable housing landscape and finds architects, planners, and developers trying to find a better way through an inefficient system.
Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials
The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.
Evidence of Softening Rental Markets
According to Joe Cortright, a slowing pace of rent inflation in most large cities in the United States, combined with decreasing rents in many cities, shows how adding supply can help balance the market.
San Diego, Marin County Heading the Opposite Direction on Housing Policy
The mayor of San Diego has acknowledged the ongoing crisis of housing affordability by pushing to make it easier to build housing at higher densities and with less parking. Marin County…not so much.
New Projects to House Homeless in San Jose
The Bay Area is home to a large homeless population, and San Jose is doing more to create resources for the homeless than other cities in the area.
Google to Buy 300 Modular Apartments for Employees
Mountain View is an expensive place to find housing, in part because of Google itself. The tech giant plans to do something about the housing crunch, for its employees at least.
Inclusionary Zoning Proposed for Buffalo—Will it Help or Hurt the Housing Market?
Buffalo is considering policies to support affordable rental housing as demand rises. While inclusionary zoning is controversial everywhere, specific questions about the policy's effectiveness arise in cities with little to no population growth.
Accused of 'Ambush-Style Eviction,' Detroit Land Bank Faces Lawsuit
A lawsuit, allowed to proceed by a Wayne County judge, reveals some of the difficulties of blight removal.
Opponents of Rent Control Claim Victory in Special Election in Bay Area
Voters in Santa Rosa, California rejected a measure that would have retained the rent and eviction control ordinance that the city council had approved lasted August. The referendum was placed on the ballot by the California Apartment Association.
The Affordable Rental Housing Crisis Is Only Getting Worse
The headline from the latest report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies on the state of the nation's housing market focuses on a shrinking, broken rental market.
Throwing Some Cold Water on the 'Tiny Homes' Movement
Small square-footages might be in vogue, but would the occupants of tiny homes really pass up American-Dream spaciousness, given the chance?
What Happened When Arlington Cut Out the 'Missing Middle'
In Arlington, restricting density to preserve neighborhood character isn't new. A rowhouse ban in 1938 may be one factor behind today's steep prices and gentrification.
Where Affordable Senior Apartments Aren't Welcome
An affordable senior apartment development has provoked heated opposition in the Louisville suburb of Prospect.
How Building Standards Failed London's Grenfell Tower
Fire safety experts are rushing to explain the horrific scene in London's Kensington neighborhood last night—after a fire destroyed a residential high rise. The building was recently retrofitted to meet efficiency standards.
Linkage Fees a Tough Sell for Affordable Housing
Advocates for linkage fees as a tool to enable the construction of additional have encountered stiff resistance in some of the country's most populated areas.
In the Silicon Valley, Eichler Is Synonymous With Single-Story Overlay
Residents of homes designed by Joseph Eichler are concerned that new two-story homes could invade their privacy and block sunlight and views. They have sought and won zoning protection.
New York Lawmaker Would End New Marketing Nicknames for Neighborhoods
There will be no SoHa (South Harlem), if the state approves new legislation that allows the city to block real estate brokers from assigning new shorthand to neighborhoods in the hopes of boosting real estate listings.
The Next Baby Boom: Urban Millennials with Children
Affordable urban living for millennial families with children has the potential to become one of the largest market demands in the near future.
Gay Neighborhoods Are Getting More and More Expensive
Trulia has created a "Neighborhood Pride Score" to determine the communities with the largest gay populations. Access to those neighborhoods comes at a high price.
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
