Housing
Homelessness on the Rise
The results from a nationwide homelessness count submitted to HUD in January reveal that many cities are showing a dramatic surge in the need for services to the homeless.
Can Older Houses be Energy Efficient?
We don't need to build new energy efficient homes as much as we need to refurbish the existing housing stock to make it more energy efficient, writes Richard Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Banks Abandoning Foreclosed Homes
In cities across the country, banks are ditching out on foreclosed homes, giving more worries -- and bills -- to homeowners.
The End Of San Francisco's High-Rise Housing Boom
A prominent developer predicts that all hi-rise housing will cease in the San Francisco due to the credit crisis. The result, says an urban think tank director, will be more sprawl development in the Bay Area as it presents the least financial risk.
Florida's 'Trickle-Down' Condo Disaster
Florida's real estate meltdown is leading to a second crisis: so many condo owners have stopped paying their fees that associations have had to cut back on maintenance and repairs, leading some to fear a "death spiral" for condos.
Planning for Spontaneity
According to this opinion piece, planners must ease up on "big bang" planning--an approach centered around sweeping changes with fixed ideas of what the outcome must look like.
Affordable Housing Gets $32 Million
The MacArthur Foundation has announced it will give $32 million in grants and loans to preserve and create affordable public housing through HUD, in addition to the $4 billion allotted to the agency from the stimulus bill.
Exurbs, the New Rentals
In many areas, housing on the suburban fringe has gone rental. The shift indicates mobility on the part of renters who want to stay put, but could also be a precursor for a low-income future for the exurbs.
Where California's Foreclosure Hot Spots Went Wrong
This piece form the Modesto Bee looks at the growth and housing bust that has dramatically affected California's San Joaquin Valley -- home to some of the nation's highest rates of foreclosure.
No Ground-Floor Garages ... Except This One
Despite advocating for an end to ground-floor garages, a neighborhood group in Philadelphia is now asking for an exemption to the rule it wrote against them.
Growth Estimates Predict 300,000 More Households in Portland Region by 2030
Population estimates mean that the Portland region will need about 300,000 additional homes by 2030. Where they should all go is up for debate.
Brookings to Congress: Integrate Housing and Transportation Planning
In this testimonial to Congress, the Brookings Institution's Robert Puentes argues that housing and transportation are irreversibly linked and that, in the face of the current recession, more integrated planning is needed.
What Can Cities Do About 'Property Outlaws'?
More homeless people are squatting in abandoned suburban housing. Eduardo M. Peñalver, co-author of the forthcoming book "Property Outlaws" thinks cities should acquire these properties and allow the former owners to live in them as renters.
Shantytowns, USA
The economic crisis is leading to a surge in homelessness and the growth of tent cities in many U.S. cities.
"Land of Extremes" Feels the Hurt
California's Inland Empire's status as one of the nation's leader in foreclosures has fleeing retail as proof of it. This article offers a glimpse in this "land of extremes."
HUD Homeownership Program Shows Promise
An ambitious HUD program promoting homeownership in troubled neighborhoods is, by some accounts, "one of the more intelligent things HUD has done in its history."
Second Homes Flood Rental Market
Owners of second homes are leaning harder on these properties to bring in income, but are finding the market for vacation rentals more complicated than it used to be.
Canada's Housing Market Braces and Bends for Boomers
As Baby Boomers reach retirement age in Canada, nearly one out of five in the country will be retired within a decade. This coming retirement boom is already affecting the housing market, which many expect to change dramatically.
Is This London Project a Landmark, or Blight?
Robin Hood Gardens is a 70s era, Brutalist public housing complex. Preservationists say it is historic; the government wants to tear it down. Reporter Nicolai Ouroussoff pays the project a visit to determine for himself.
Protecting Renters from the Foreclosure Crisis
Renters are the hidden victims of the foreclosure crisis: they are usually the last to know about foreclosure, have few resources to assist them and are being overlooked by federal interventions. But community organizers are fighting back.
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
