Affordable Housing

Man in green shirt painting yellow and black "Housing is a human right" mural on fence.

Six Reasons Why Housing Is a Human Right

Is housing a human right? A law professor shares six reasons why it should be, from its role in protecting other rights to global recognition and U.S. legal traditions. As public support grows, could housing be the next right written into law?

April 4, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Rendering of National Public Housing Museum in brick building in Chicago, Illinois.

Museum of Public Housing Opens in Chicago

The museum highlights the history of public housing in the United States using displays intimately woven with family artifacts.

April 2, 2025 - Block Club Chicago

Close-up on handmade sign being held up at protest "Housing is a human right"

HUD Ordered to Release Grant Funds After Anti-DEI Clawback

A federal judge ruled in favor of fair housing groups after the Trump administration tried to rescind housing grants.

April 2, 2025 - CommonWealth Beacon

Front of San Diego High School with students milling around.

San Diego School District Approves Affordable Housing Plan

The district plans to build workforce housing for 10 percent of its employees in the next decade and explore other ways to contribute to housing development.

March 30, 2025 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Red crane in foreground with New York City skyline in background.

Lawsuit Aims to Stop NYC’s ‘City of Yes’ Zoning Reforms

A lawsuit brought by local lawmakers and community groups claims the plan failed to conduct a comprehensive environmental review.

March 30, 2025 - New York Post

Construction workers on a suspended platform are installing thermal insulation on the facade of a modern apartment building, improving energy efficiency and reducing heat loss during cold weather.

Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks

HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.

March 28, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

Aerial view of large suburban homes on small lake in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

New Jersey Affordable Housing Law Turns 50

The Mount Laurel Doctrine tasks each city and town with creating enough affordable housing to meet their needs, but half a century after its passage, the law still faces opposition in some parts of the state.

March 26, 2025 - Asbury Park Press

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

Aerial view of downtown Houston, Texas skyline with low-rise housing in foreground.

Preserving Houston’s ‘Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing’

Unsubsidized, low-cost rental housing is a significant source of affordable housing for Houston households, but the supply is declining as units fall into disrepair or are redeveloped into more expensive units.

March 21, 2025 - Urban Edge

Louisville, Kentucky skyline with river and bridge in foreground at dusk.

Louisville Launches ‘Anti-Displacement Tool’

After a years-long, tenant-led effort, Louisville will use a new tool to analyze whether a proposed housing development can meet a neighborhood’s housing needs and income levels. If it doesn’t, the city won’t subsidize it.

March 19, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Small white wooden church at edge of large concrete lot with rolling hills or golf course in background.

The YIGBY Movement: Unlocking Church-Owned Land for Affordable Housing

As the housing crisis deepens, interest in faith-based development is spreading across the country. How do YIGBY zoning laws work, where are they being implemented or introduced, and what could it mean for communities and churches?

March 18, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up on red and white "For Rent" sign on building.

What Makes Rent ‘Fair’

Should monthly charges be pegged to the cost of financing, developing, and operating housing, or to household income? Or are there other ways to design how rent is calculated?

March 18, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands

The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

March 17, 2025 - The Wall Street Journal

Columbus, Ohio skyline on a sunny day.

Low-Income Columbus Households Struggle to Find Housing

The Ohio city has a more severe affordable housing crisis than more traditionally expensive cities like New York and San Francisco.

March 17, 2025 - Columbus Dispatch

Close-up of musicians loading zone sign on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas at night with illuminated high-rise with pyramidal top in background.

SXSW Panel Addresses Housing Affordability for Artists

Musicians are increasingly hard-pressed to find affordable housing in Austin, a city known for its music scene.

March 11, 2025 - CultureMap Austin

The Capitol dome in Washington, D.C. viewed from middle of Pennsylvania Avenue protected bike lanes.

Planning Trends for 2025: Creative Housing Solutions, Ongoing Transit Woes, and the Ever-Creeping Tentacles of AI

Urban planners have no shortage of urgent issues to delve into, from a deepening housing crisis to an increasingly unpredictable climate to a new federal administration bent on slashing key funding for everything from electric cars to housing assistance.

March 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Two pastel green/blue front doors on duplex with decorative wreaths.

How Single-Family Conversions Benefit Both Homeowners and Cities

Converting single-family homes to triplexes can ease the housing crisis and offer affordable, flexible options for more households. Why is it largely illegal?

March 4, 2025 - Strong Towns

Brown "Park Closed" sign on metal swing gate outdoors.

February Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month

Federal policy changes send shock waves through agencies at all levels of government as we continue to monitor the effects of the new administration’s slash-and-burn approach to government.

March 4, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Department of Housing and Urban Development building in Washington, D.C. Concrete Brutalist high-rise.

What Trump’s Executive Orders Mean for US Housing Programs

Orders related to DEI and accessibility, among others, may threaten housing programs for those who need them most.

March 3, 2025 - Shelterforce

Aerial view of the Atlanta Beltline walking and biking trail with mid-rise buildings on either side.

Beltline Surpasses Annual Affordable Housing Goal

The Atlanta Beltline agency is actively working to prevent the displacement of longtime residents along the trail system, where property values are rising rapidly.

February 26, 2025 - Axios

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.