Single-family detached homes typically epitomize sprawl, while 4 or 5 story apartment buildings now seem to be the utopian ideal for livable neighborhoods. But some of the most livable and walkable neighborhoods I know are largely comprised of single family homes.
Housing
Oregon UGB Expanded
Bend, Oregon councilmembers took no more than five minutes to vote to expand the city's urban growth boundaries, adding nearly 9,000 acres of developable land to the city's map.
KOHD
For Amish, Building Code and Religion Don't Jibe
Eleven Amish families have sued their own town for religious discrimination in its building code.
Chicago Tribune
Importing the Tijuana Model
Architect Teddy Cruz is creating new models of affordable housing using the shantytowns of Tijuana as his inspiration.
GOOD Magazine
The End of the Age of McMansions
Fewer teardowns and new home starts back up the perception that the age of the McMansion is coming to an end.
The Christian Science Monitor
Neighborhood Rises Again Through Rail
This piece from The Washington Post looks at a formerly thriving streetcar neighborhood that has become a thriving Metro neighborhood -- despite decades of decline in between.
The Washington Post
Job Growth Linked to Housing Supply
Job growth is slower in areas that don't have enough housing, according to a new study.
The Boston Globe
New York City's Ever-Evolving Union Square
Controversy surrounds a $20 million redesign of New York City's Union Square Park.
The New York Times
Sewers Sink Affordable Housing
Developer Amir Ziv thought he'd received all the approvals he needed for a controversial affordable housing development in Columbia, MO - but failed to count on storm water regulations.
The Columbia Tribune
Amid Tough Times, New York Remains Resilient
Housing prices are falling across the country. But the decline has been relatively small in New York City, America's "Resilient City" according to Edward L. Glaeser. He says this bodes well for the city's future.
The New York Times
Troubled Seattle Affordable Housing Plan May Get Rewrite
Seattle has been allowing developers to build higher buildings in exchange for contributing to a fund for affordable housing. But with few units built, officials are hoping to rewrite the legislation to remove restrictions and get more housing built.
The Seattle Times
Housing Starts Plummet
The latest figures show a dramatic drop in housing starts across the United States -- a sign, according to Dean Baker, that builders are having trouble securing credit.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Businesses Invest In City Plan To Fight Homelessness
Businesses in Fort Worth, Texas, invest in a city-led plan to combat homelessness.
Fort Worth Business Press
How the "Ownership Society" Backfired
The Bush Administration's ideology of homeownership combined with a lack of oversight contributed significantly to the collapse of the housing market and the present economic crisis, according to this New York Times investigation.
New York Times
More versus Different
21 December 2008 - 9:32am
In the last six months I have been fortunate to work in a variety of communities - from rural counties in Pennsylvania and Virginia, to small towns and cities in New Mexico and New York, to larger cities in Alaska, Connecticut, and Virginia. Each place has suddenly been confronted with the advent of new dollars. New money at any point in time is a valuable, and especially scarce resource. But in this economy this is even more the case. As communities are faced with reduced sales and property taxes, and consistent demand for services, any new funds are a welcomed addition to the work of balancing the books.
Without Building Permits, Amish Face Fines
Legal actions have been brought against more than a dozen Amish residents in Wisconsin and New York for building structures in their traditional style, but without building permits.
Associated Press
The City on Hiatus
Nick Paumgarten imagines a New York City landscape that would result from a present-day economic crisis.
The New Yorker
How Tax Breaks Fueled the Housing Bubble
This article from The New York Times looks at how Clinton-era tax breaks helped create the housing bubble.
The New York Times
Tucson Rejects Density Plan
There will be no infill development at Jefferson Park, near the University of Arizona, that increases density. The move contradicts the city's plan to achieve a more "urban feel."
Tuscon Citizen
Housing for the Mentally Ill
Last week, a Santa Barbara apartment community, The Garden Center, opened to 38 new residents. The apartments were specifically designed to combat homelessness through housing and mental health care all at once.
Miller-McCune
