Housing

Looking To Architects As Bellwhethers of Building Industry Trends

This column from The Washington Post looks at the housing and development trends presented by the American Institute of Architects' Home Design Trends survey.

December 31, 2007 - The Washington Post

Thoughts on America's Affordable Housing Shortage

This report from NPR looks at the shortage of affordable housing in America.

December 30, 2007 - NPR

House of Cards

A primer on how the economics of housing have been the foundation of not just urban planning but the whole American economy since the 1930s, and why the current housing crisis could have such a far-reaching impact.

December 29, 2007 - AlterNet

The Shock Doctrine Comes to New Orleans

Naomi Klein believes that HUD's demolition of public housing in New Orleans isn't just about responding to flood damage: it's a classic example of what she calls "The Shock Doctrine" -- using disasters to restructure and privatize whole economies.

December 27, 2007 - AlterNet

Will Retiring Baby Boomers Revive The Cohousing Movement?

Cohousing could be the answer for seniors looking for a strong sense of community and support from neighbors as they age.

December 26, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Utah's Affordable Housing Woes

Strong job growth and a lack of multi-family housing are pushing rents up and squeezing low-income households.

December 25, 2007 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Suburban Tent City?

As foreclosure rates rise across the country, former homeowners are seeking shelter in suburban "tent cities" while municipalities struggle to cope with extra costs and declining tax revenues.

December 24, 2007 - Reuters

San Mateo: First California County To Subdivide Housing Need Allocations

"Regional Housing Needs Allocations" are generally dreaded by California cities who resist state mandates to provide affordable housing. Rather than being assigned the requirement by the regional COG, San Mateo's 20 cities chose to do it themselves.

December 23, 2007 - Redwood City Daily News

Affordable Housing Plans More Achievable In D.C.

This post from The Next American City's blog looks at plans for building affordable housing in Washington D.C. and how the city is in a much better position to provide for its low income residents than many other major cities.

December 23, 2007 - The Next American City

NOLA Demolitions: One of 'Greatest Crimes in U.S. Urban Planning'

HUD's arguments for the demolition of thousands of public housing units in New Orleans echoes the worst of the "tabula rasa" approach to urban renewal of the 1960s, writes Nicolai Ouroussoff.

December 21, 2007 - The New York Times

Fair Housing, But For Whom?

The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress in 1968, but some minorities still struggle to obtain mortgages and home loans. This article from The Next American City asks why.

December 21, 2007 - The Next American City

Housing The Most Vulnerable

Homeless advocates are working in Los Angeles to identify the city's most vulnerable homeless people on Skid Row. With this list the county intends to take a piecemeal approach to housing the city's homeless.

December 20, 2007 - NPR

Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalized For Renters, Owners and Retailers

The non-profit neighborhood housing group Hope Community has renovated ten houses, built 126 affordable rental units, and has two mixed income projects under way in one depressed and crime-ridden Minneapolis block.

December 19, 2007 - The New York Times

What's Next For New Orleans Demolition Sites?

In this commentary from Bloomberg, James S. Russell looks as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's threat to withdraw hundreds of millions of dollars worth of housing vouchers from New Orleans and the future of the city.

December 19, 2007 - Bloomberg

The Pleistocene Dream?

Owning a home may appeal to primitive happiness-seeking instincts, but the resulting suburban isolation and solitary commutes many people face may be making us profoundly unhappy, writes Charles Montgomery.

December 18, 2007 - The Walrus

Buying Foreclosed Homes A Struggle Unless Occupants Are Booted

Buyers looking to snatch up renter-occupied foreclosed homes and apartment buildings are meeting opposition from mortgage companies who want all tenants out before a sale. This leaves many buyers unsatisfied and many renters feeling insecure.

December 18, 2007 - The Boston Globe

New York: The New American Teardown Capital

Surpassing metropolitan Chicago, metro New York now hosts the highest amount of teardowns in the country.

December 18, 2007 - The New York Times

Anaheim Plans To Remake Its Sports District Into Highrise Urban Village

Anaheim (Orange County, CA) has big plans: 20,000 urban infill homes planned for their sports district. While the zoning change passed the council on a 4-1 vote, developers will wait for the housing market to recover.

December 17, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Land of the Living, Dead

Vice Magazine presents this photo essay on a cemetery in Manila that is heavily populated with both the living and the dead. More than 10,000 families make this graveyard their home.

December 17, 2007 - Vice Magazine

Inclusionary Housing Bill Gets Approval In Philadelphia

The Philadelphia city council has approved an inclusionary housing bill requiring developers to include a certain percentage of affordable housing in all projects of 20 units or more.

December 16, 2007 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.