Housing
LA the "Meanest City"?
A new report on how cities criminalize the practices used by homeless people to get by on a daily basis names Los Angeles as the country's "meanest city" for its "Safer City Initiative."
The Bust of Williamsburg
Sales in Brooklyn are down, and that's made a ghost town out of the recently booming but now busted Williamsburg neighborhood.
Vancouver Requires Electric Car Inclusionary Zoning
The city of Vancouver is going to begin requiring that a certain amount of electric car charging stations be included in all new residential developments.
New York Begins Converting Stalled Projects to Affordable Housing
The City of New York has unveiled its Housing Asset Renewal Program, a plan to revive stalled projects as affordable housing.
Cities Creating Land Banks to Deal with Vacant Properties
Abandoned and foreclosed properties are plaguing many cities. Now some are trying to turn the blight into prosperity by creating land banks to hold, remodel or demolish the properties -- and pull in some revenue while they're at it.
The Mud House Boom and Bust
The housing boom has busted in a tiny village in the West African country of Guinea, where homebuilders had constructed rows of new mud houses in hopes of cashing in on the rising demand for housing and its rising costs. Now, they sit empty.
Homelessness is On the Rise in Rural and Suburban Areas
Homelessness has jumped in the nation's suburban areas, according to a study from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of those in U.S. shelters, 32% are in rural or suburban areas.
A Bird’s-Eye View of the Foreclosure Crisis
As part of an art exhibition about housing, artist Damon Rich used the Panorama of the City of New York- a 9,000 sq. ft. model- to illustrate the foreclosure crisis.
Post-Katrina, A Neighborhood Changes
The Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans was deluged in the post-Katrina flooding. Today, a new community emerges with traditional renovations living side-by side with unique contemporary buildings.
A Little Too Tough on Blight?
The City of Chula Vista has a highly successful anti-blight ordinance- so successful that some critics say they may actually be delaying the recovery of the local real estate market.
A Look Inside the Busted Building Market
This slideshow from The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the abandoned and stalled buildings form around the country that epitomize the bust of the building market.
Jerry Brown Sues Suburb Over Housing Element
The CA Attorney General wants cities to take their housing obligations seriously - so much so that he has joined a 2006 lawsuit against the Alameda County suburb of Pleasanton over a 'housing cap' of 29,000 units approved by its voters in 1996.
Will a "New Direction" in Housing Policy Mean a "Return to Feudalism"?
John Petro counters Joel Kotkin's views that America's post-bubble housing policy should be "a renewed quest for homeownership."
Farming in the Subdivision
Organic farms are increasingly being included in site plans for new subdivisions. And homebuyers seem to like them.
McMansion Demand Nosedives
A survey of architects shows that a very low percentage of Americans are still clamoring for McMansions, indicating what may be a broad shift to smaller homes.
Decline in Decline of Housing Market
Yale economist Robert Schiller believes that the housing market is showing signs of improvement. "At this point, people are thinking the fall is over," says Schiller.
Breaking Out of Silos and Across Borders
With interdepartmental cooperation blossoming within the Obama administration, Neal Peirce wonders how things will shake down when policies hit metropolitan regions -- and the municipal borders that can impede and confuse policy.
Waterfront Park and Housing Heading to Queens
New York City recently acquired land to develop parkspace and housing for middle and moderate-income New Yorkers in Queens.
Granny Flats and Carriage Houses for Denver
Grass Root Efforts to Help Bring Back a Much-Loved Building Form
Vancouver Neighborhoods "Completely Changed" by Homeless Shelters
Gary Mason describes how Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's policy of rapid expansion of homeless shelters -- including two in residential areas -- has "completely changed" those neighborhoods.
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
