housing affordability

facebook

Facebook Offers $1 Billion to Ease California's Housing Affordability Crisis

Facebook joins as Google in the $1 billion club, though this club plans to spend that money on housing programs to help alleviate the exploding cost of housing in the state of California.

October 22, 2019 - The Mercury News

South Mall Parking Lot

How Parking Reform Could Relieve the Housing Crisis

The benefits of equitable mobility policy will extend to equitable housing outcomes, according to this article published by Sidewalk Labs.

October 22, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Canadian Election

More Than One North American Political Campaign Ignoring Housing and Transit

When it comes to ignoring matters of housing affordability and public transit during an election cycle of great significance, the United States is not the exception. Candidates in Canada's 2019 Federal Election have mastered the same trick.

October 19, 2019 - The Star

Senior Housing

Housing Inequality More Apparent in Older Populations

A new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University digs into the housing market for older Americans, finding more evidence of a widening gap between each end of the wealth spectrum.

October 17, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

residential Neighborhood

McMimpact Fee Proposed

Should there be an extra fee for property owners who tear down an existing single-family home and replace it with a much larger, more expensive single-family home?

October 17, 2019 - WAMU

Tenants' Rights

Why the Poor Cannot Move: It's Not Just the (Official) Rent

A discussion of the book Evicted, and in particular its suggestion that rent in poor neighborhoods is not much lower than the rent in middle-class areas.

October 14, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Georgetown

Zoning Stifles New Construction in D.C.'s Pricey Neighborhoods

New research by Jenny Schuetz shows that already-expensive neighborhoods in D.C., zoned for low-density single-family homes, are not doing their part in adding new supply to meet rising demand.

October 14, 2019 - Brookings

Shotgun Homes, New Orleans

Affordable Housing Losing Ground in New Orleans

For the second year in a row, New Orleans is losing more affordable housing than it is creating, according to a recent report published by HousingNOLA.

October 1, 2019 - The New Orleans Advocate

Exurban Development

Exurban Sprawl Picking Up Where the Great Recession Left Off

Despite the environmental effects of exurban sprawl, Northern California's housing shortage is being alleviated on the extreme edges of the San Francisco Bay Area.

September 24, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rent

Washington Post Editorial Sides With Economists on Rent Control

The Washington Post Editorial Board responds to the growing wave of approved and proposed rent control measures—from Oregon and California to the campaign platform of Bernie Sanders.

September 24, 2019 - The Washington Post

California State Capital

Statewide Rent Control, Eviction Protections Adopted in California

It's been a historic year for rent control on the West Coast, as California joins Oregon as the first states to approve statewide rent control laws.

September 13, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

Anti-Development Forces Strike at L.A.'s Transit Oriented Communities Program

There's a new front in the city of L.A.'s ongoing conflict between anti-development forces and efforts to add density at and around transit.

September 10, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

NIMBY Sign

New Research Ties Lack of Density to Lack of Affordability in California

New research using the Terner Center California Residential Land Use Survey also connects demographic trends to housing development opposition.

September 6, 2019 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Durham City Park

New Density Planned as Affordable Housing, Growth Management Tool in Durham, North Carolina

The City Council of Durham, North Carolina has approved changes to the city's master plan, first approved in 2005, to allow new forms of density in residential neighborhoods proximate to the city's downtown urban core.

September 6, 2019 - News & Observer

Arlington County, Virginia

As Amazon's Arrival Approaches, Northern Virginia Housing Market Heats Up

Houses are in high demand and prices have soared since Amazon announced a new headquarters would be located in Arlington County, Virginia. The buyers, however, are not new Amazon workers.

September 3, 2019 - The Washington Post

Tree Canopy

In the Housing Market, a Few Decades Makes a Huge Difference

"[P]erhaps at this point, this column should include a trigger warning for any young couple traumatized by the current housing market around here."

August 23, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Mexico City, Florida

Climate Change as a Housing Crisis 'Threat Multiplier'

Extreme weather is exacerbating the threats posing communities struggling with a lack of affordable housing.

August 20, 2019 - Next City

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

Battle of the Bay: Oakland Ahead of San Francisco in Housing Construction

Call it a role reversal: Oakland is building far more apartments and housing units than San Francisco—a reversal of the history of development in the Bay Area.

August 13, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Democratic Debate

Dems Debated in the Perfect Place to Talk About Cities, But Didn't Talk About Cities

An opportunity missed in Detroit.

August 6, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Tenant Protections

Rent Control Challenged as an Illegal Taking of Property

A potential precedent setting case against rent control is underway in New York. A Next City article takes an in-depth look at the legal argument made by landlords against the state of New York's new rent control law.

August 5, 2019 - Next City

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.