Affordable Housing

Homelessness as a Watershed Issue in San Jose

San Jose's attractive urban waterways, especially Coyote Creek, house over 1200 people living in about 66 illicit encampments, all without sanitation. It's clear that clean water and housing needs are connected. What that means is up for debate.

June 2, 2014 - California Planning & Development Report

On the Unintended Consequences of Inclusionary Zoning

"Affordable housing policies have a long history of hurting the very people they are said to help," says Emily Washington, citing public housing and rent control as evidence. She would also add inclusionary zoning to the list of failed policies.

June 1, 2014 - Market Urbanism

De Blasio Moving Forward with New York City's Largest Housing Development in Three Decades

Although the Hunter's Point South was a Bloomberg-era proposal, the de Blasio Administration last week released an RFP for $100 million in construction to build the infrastructure and public amenities necessary to support the project.

May 30, 2014 - Crain's Business New York

Bill Would Except Marin County from California Affordable Housing Mandate

A bill to create an exception for Marin County for meeting it's state affordable housing requirements is sailing through the legislature and even has the support of affordable housing developers.

May 30, 2014 - Marin Independent Journal

How are California’s Bullet Train and Affordable Housing Connected?

California Gov. Brown’s support of high speed rail contrasts sharply with his gutting of affordable housing. Michael Russell, real estate developer and advisor, reviews pending bills and potential fixes for affordable housing.

May 27, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Neighborhood Graffiti

The Theory Behind NIMBYism, Part 3

When should a city give neighborhood concerns weight, and when should a state or city create clear-cut rules that limit planners' discretion to consider neighborhood concerns?

May 22, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

What The NY Times Got Wrong About Inclusionary Zoning

NY Mayor Bill de Blasio released a 10-year plan to create or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units in the city. Housing activists cheer at its embrace of mandatory inclusionary zoning, but the NY Time's coverage reveals an ignorant counter view.

May 22, 2014 - Rooflines

A Tale of Two Markets

Re-examining recent thinking on student debt as major contributor to the lousy housing market.

May 16, 2014 - CityLab

Key Questions Remain for New York City's Affordable Housing Plan

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio's recent announcements provided some important details about his administration's affordable housing agenda, there are a few questions still left to be answered that will determine the success of the plan.

May 12, 2014 - Crain's Business New York

Coit Tower

HUD Rental Assistance on an Unsustainable Path—What Can Be Done to Save It?

A "Race to the Top" proposal for HUD to help off-set the difficulties of delivering affordable housing in high-priced, high-mobility metros.

May 7, 2014 - Shane Phillips

New York Housing

'Housing New York' Would Invest $41 Billion in Affordable Housing

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the details of the "Housing New York" plan this week. The plan will guide the de Blasio Administration toward its goal of creating 200,000 affordable housing units in the city.

May 7, 2014 - New York Times

California Bill Would Fund Low-Income Housing by Charging for Real Estate Documents

A controversial bill working its way through the California Legislature would charge a $75 for recorded real estate documents, such as refinance, mechanic's lien, and foreclosure, to fund low- and moderate-income homes.

April 29, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Building Support for Affordable Housing

A recent article on PlannersWeb acts as a kind of playbook for building public support for affordable housing projects.

April 14, 2014 - PlannersWeb

Optimism Indicator: Record Number of Building Permits in Philadelphia

Observers of Philadelphia’s economic and social situation can celebrate, and worry, given recent data on issues like poverty, crime, and the job market. One bright spot, however, is 2013's record number of building permits.

April 7, 2014 - philly.com

Brooklyn Bridge Beach

Architecture + Urbanism: Both/And, Not Either/Or

Looking at the trend toward interdisciplinary design practice through the work of WXY Architecture + Urban Design.

April 3, 2014 - Anna Bergren Miller

New Study Tests Assumptions About Housing Vouchers and Crime

A new paper published in the Urban Studies journal finds a weak, negative relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates. There is no observable relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates in suburban areas.

March 31, 2014 - Urban Studies

New Garden City Won't Solve London's Affordable-Housing Problem

London’s contemporary affordable-housing crisis has revived a century-old idea: the garden city.

March 23, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Glenwood Green Acres, Philadelphia

Which Is the Problem: Affordable Housing or Poverty?

Jonathan Geeting argues that Philadelphia’s recently proposed affordable housing program is focusing on the wrong problem—in Philadelphia, housing is quite affordable, but people are still too poor to afford it.

March 21, 2014 - Next City

1,500 Affordable Housing Units Proposed for Philadelphia

The “1,500 New Affordable Housing Units Initiative” would target gentrifying neighborhoods in the hopes of preserving a mix of incomes where housing costs are pricing-out long-term residents.

March 19, 2014 - PlanPhilly

Idiot brigade

The Theory Behind NIMBYism

Why should people have veto power over anything built in their neighborhood?

March 12, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

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.