Housing
Dan Savage: Doing Something Real About Gentrification and Displacement
Urbanites' complaints about gentrification have much in common with suburbanites' complaints about commutes. Scarcity due to the ridiculous amount of land zoned for single-family housing deserves as much blame for displacement as gentrification.
NYC's Rental Market Returns to the Single Room Occupancy Model of a Century Ago
A New York Times feature details the re-emergence of the single room occupancy (SRO) unit in the New York rental market. Despite a stigma and an old-fashioned quality, the SRO is becoming a badly needed housing solution.
Solving Homelessness: Title V's Shortcomings and Potential Explained
The Title V program makes the hard parts of solving homelessness—finding the money and the property—a lot easier. So why hasn't it been used at a much larger scale?
YIMBYs Attacked from the (Far) Left
Pro-housing activists in San Francisco are blamed for displacement of vulnerable communities because they support luxury housing developments. A report from the independent progressive website, Truthout, ties YIMBYs to the "alt-right."
Affordable Housing Lacking in Every State
A recent report from the Urban Institute warns of potentially expanding catastrophe for affordable housing around the country.
'Plansplaining' and its Discontents
Yes, planners have expertise to share, but according to this rather pointed critique, they also sometimes forget that other people do too.
Op-Ed: The Shortcomings of Matthew Desmond's 'Evicted'
Matthew Desmond's ethnographic study has received critical praise. But David Adler asks whether the book's approach tacitly lets affluent non-landlords off the hook.
California's Inland Empire Ready to Build Again
As an article in Builder puts it: the 'Inland Empire Strike Back' with a large new masterplanned community in Riverside County. This region, hit particularly hard by the housing crash of the Great Recession looks ready pick up where it left off.
A Call for Prevailing Wages as a Housing Solution
An op-ed written by city officials from two South Bay Area cities argues that reform of land use regulations won't be enough to solve California's housing crisis.
Amazon to House Homeless in Seattle Headquarters
Headquarters campus of Amazon will include housing for homeless who would have been displaced by the company’s purchase of the hotel that included their shelter.
San Francisco Moving Forward on its First Teacher Housing Project
The mayor of San Francisco announced plans to convert an old administrative building, owned by the school district, into housing for teachers. It’s a long-awaited idea that has finally come to fruition.
San Jose Approves Tenant Protections, Studying a Ban on Voucher Discrimination
The city of San Jose, California is crafting regulations to give renters and low-income residents more rights and access to fair housing.
Signs of Life from the Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act, considered under threat by the Trump Administration and the Republican majority in Congress, still has power, but cities have long road ahead to prove bans liable for harms caused by predatory and discriminatory lending.
Milwaukee Looking for Ways to Finally Force Landlords to Pay Property Taxes
Landlords in Milwaukee have several methods for avoiding paying fines and property taxes—it's all a part of gaming the system. After the local paper investigated the "landlord games," the city is taking action.
Op-Ed: Sacramento Drags Feet on Housing
Dan Walters has some harsh words for California state leaders. He says their approach to the housing shortage has been "tepid" and "lackadaisical."
Rents and Inequity Rising Together
U.S. landlords are getting a bigger share of the economic pie than they ever have before, according to new government data.
What Will Los Angeles Will Do Next On Housing & Water? Look To Their Neighbors
The cities of Santa Monica, Culver CIty, West Hollywood, and Malibu are championing stormwater infrastructure, new public transit, affordable housing, and action on homelessness prevention.
U.S. Housing Prices Still Haven't Recovered from the Great Recession
While some cities become more and more expensive, most of the country's housing prices still haven't recovered from the great recession.
Inclusionary Zoning Bill to Increase Affordable Rentals Passes California Assembly
Due to a 2009 court decision, cities and counties in California are prohibited from requiring that a percentage of units in rental developments be affordable. A bill by Assemblyman Richard Bloom would restore inclusionary zoning for rentals.
Middle Neighborhoods: On the Edge of Greatness or Distress
St. Louis provides the backdrop for a discussion about "middle neighborhoods"—the subject of a 2016 book by Paul C. Brophy.
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
