Housing Crisis

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Homelessness

Vacant Properties Occupied by Homeless Families Turned Over to Community Land Trust

A major victory in the fight for housing justice has been achieved in Philadelphia.

October 5, 2020 - Philadelphia Housing Action

Coronavirus

Overdue Rent Could Equal $34 Billion by January 2021

As Americans deal with job losses and ongoing unemployment, rent bills are piling up and a wave of evictions looms on the horizon.

October 4, 2020 - Route Fifty

Apartment Construction

Rent Control Debated in the Nation's Capital

District council members and local tenant advocates are engaged in a bit of tug of war about how far the District should go to limit the amount landlords can raise rents.

September 30, 2020 - DCist

Wall Street

Lessons from the Last Housing Crisis: How to Get Control of Properties

How to keep affordable apartments and single-family homes out of the hands of institutional investors if the coronavirus pandemic leads to a giant wave of evictions and foreclosures.

September 29, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Oahu

Affordable Housing Project Fails From Community Opposition in Honolulu

The final demise of a closely watched, controversial affordable housing project was reported this week in Honolulu.

September 25, 2020 - KITV4

Toronto Construction

Inclusionary Zoning Sought by Toronto's Chief Planner

Gregg Lintern, chief planner and executive director of the City Planning Division for Toronto, went before a city committee this week to press for a new inclusionary zoning scheme to ensure the construction of affordable housing.

September 22, 2020 - The Star

SoHo Manhattan

NoHo and SoHo Rezoning Controversies, Amplified

One of the big questions of planning is up for debate with a proposed rezoning in the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods of New York City: Can upzoning be an effective tool for affordability?

September 21, 2020 - CityLimits

COVID-19 Eviction Crisis

The High Cost of Rampant Evictions: $315 Million a Year in Harris County, Texas

Evictions incur immense costs for the public and nonprofit sector, according to new analysis from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

September 20, 2020 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

Moving Van

Phoenix Eviction and Foreclosure Rates Doubled the National Average—Then the Pandemic Hit

A new report looks at pre-existing foreclosure and eviction rates to predict where the worst outcomes of the pandemic's economic downturn for homeowners and renters are likely to happen.

September 15, 2020 - Arizona Republic

Biking in Denver

Opinion: Denver Needs New Direction on Housing

A Denver writer calls attention to the city's worsening housing affordability, gentrification, and displacement challenges, and prescribes a YIMBY response.

September 11, 2020 - The Denver Post

Coronavirus

States Use CARES Act Funds to Keep Renters Afloat

More than a dozen states are using Community Development Block Grant funding from the CARES Act to fund emergency rental and mortgage assistance programs.

September 11, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Single Family Residential Construction

Early Returns on Austin's New Density Bonus Program: 2,337 Affordable Housing Units

Since late 2019, developers who deliver affordable housing units in Austin have received bonuses in height, density, parking, and other regulatory metrics, leading to a large number of new affordable housing units in the pipeline.

September 10, 2020 - Austin Monitor

The First Affordable High Rise in 50 Years Set to Break Ground in Seattle

Philanthropic giving is providing a light in the dark of the economic downturn.

September 8, 2020 - Capital Hill Seattle Blog

Car Traffic

How the Pandemic Has Magnified the Pre-Existing Housing Crisis

Declining rents won't be a silver lining in the post-pandemic housing crisis.

September 8, 2020 - Citymetric

Flooding

Home Valuation Needs to Consider the Risk of Climate Change

Climate change-fueled sea-level rise could cause a housing crisis of a new sort if the federal government doesn't reconsider valuation policies.

September 3, 2020 - Business Insider

Hollywood Sign

Another Defeat for Statewide Zoning Reform in California

Another year, another defeat for sweeping changes to the status quo of single-family zoning in the state of California. SB 1120 would have allowed duplexes in areas previously zoned for detached single family zoning.

September 1, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

California Houses

California Unions Voice Strong Opposition to Housing Bills

Trades groups demanded provisions in housing bills that ultimately will stymie the construction of much-needed affordable housing in the state.

August 31, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

South Los Angeles

South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill

L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to SB 1120, calling the bill an attack on the residential integrity throughout the state of California.

August 24, 2020 - The Planning Report

Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding

New Housing Fund Launched in New Orleans

A new housing relief fund has been launched in New Orleans to help low-income residents deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

August 24, 2020 - NOLA.com

Maricopa County, Arizona

When Affordable for the County Isn't Affordable for the Neighborhood

A critical question arises in response to an affordable housing project proposed in Phoenix: When measuring a project's affordability, does the larger county's median income matter when some neighborhoods are struggling well beyond that measure?

August 11, 2020 - Arizona Republic

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.