Affordable Housing

Demand For Higher Density Development Slowing Down
Will 2018 signal the end of the latest real estate cycle as we know it?

Catch Up With Austin's CodeNEXT
CodeNEXT is one of the most ambitious, and controversial, zoning reform projects ongoing in the country, with lessons to offer planners all over the country in code writing, public outreach, and planning outcomes.

Most California Cities Now Subject to State-Mandated Development Streamlining
Given that 97 percent of California cities aren't meeting their housing targets, SB 35, last year's landmark "by-right" housing bill, now applies to projects that contain varying amounts of affordable units.

Why Housing Messaging Backfires
Despite decades of our raising the issue of displacement in the face of rising rents, many Americans still do not see this as a call-to-action or a failure of public policy. Here is why our housing messaging may be backfiring.
How Long Do People Stay in Assisted Housing Programs?
Low-income renters are requiring longer periods of rental assistance, and the trends show housing costs are a leading cause.

Four Steps to More Affordable Housing in San Diego (and Elsewhere)
San Diego is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and has the fourth highest homeless population. Planning activist Murtaza Baxamusa identifies four needed measures.

Temporary Trailers Will House Homeless in Downtown L.A.
If approved, a City Council motion would mark a shift in how Los Angeles deals with a rising number of homeless residents.

Explained: Community Land Trusts
Wondering what a Community Land Trust is? Look no further.

Philadelphia Loan Program Supports Home Repair
Philadelphia preserves affordable housing by investing $40 million into a new Housing Preservation Loan Program that will provide low interest loans of as much as $25,000 to fix up aging homes.

How Did Cities Boost Affordable Housing in 2017?
Affordability is elusive in many of America's cities, but some of them made concrete efforts to fight that trend in 2017.

Two Kinds of Affordable Housing Policies for Two Kinds of Affordable Housing
A short and simple "explainer" post makes sense of why there seems to be so little ground on affordable housing issues in expensive urban areas.

Rent Down 3.9% for Apartments in the Nation's Capital
After years of rising rents D.C., 2017 brought a bump in new apartment supply and a dip in apartment rents around the city.
Seattle Public Hearing on Affordable Housing Surprisingly YIMBY
Fort Lawton, an affordable housing proposal including over 200 units, got a warm reception at a meeting in Seattle.

AIA: Demand for High-Density Development Is Down
For the first time in four years, a quarterly survey indicates “market saturation in urban areas.”

Marin County's Resistance to Growth is Keeping Housing Prices High
The median home value in Marin County is well over a million dollars, thanks in part to the county and its residents keeping low income housing and development out.
More on those Freeway-Adjacent Affordable Housing Developments
The Los Angeles Times follows-up an earlier article on the dangers of building too close to freeways. It's a trade-off that the California Air Resources Board acknowledged last April with new guidelines that recognize the dire need for housing.

New York's Homeless 'Cluster Sites' to Become Affordable Housing
Conceived as a stop-gap measure, New York City's cluster site program essentially pays landlords to house homeless people. Now, Mayor de Blasio wants to convert some of those sites directly into affordable units.

Colorado Tax Mandates Will Continue to Hurt Rural Areas
When home values rise, the state constitution requires cuts to residential tax rates that severely impact less-developed areas.

California Funds Housing Near Freeways Despite Air Pollution
A Los Angeles development for homeless vets could be great news for a city in desperate need of housing, but some worry that the apartments put vets in harm’s way.

More Fallout on Affordable Housing from Tax Bill
While the low income housing tax credit was retained, banks will be much less willing to purchase them due to their reduced corporate tax rate. That's just one way H.R. 1 will exacerbate divisions between the rich and poor in America's cities.
Pagination
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