Housing

For Rent

Airbnb and Affordable Housing

Does apartment-sharing reduce regional housing supply? Probably not very much.

April 21, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Greed Revealed in the Manufactured Housing Industry

A company owned by Berkshire Hathaway has been been indulging in some of the same tactics that led to the larger housing crisis about ten years ago.

April 21, 2015 - Rooflines

Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park

Public Policies For Optimal Urban Development

What amount of expansion, population and vehicle densities, housing mix, and transport policies should growing cities aspire to achieve? This column summarizes my recent research that explores these, and related, issues.

April 13, 2015 - Todd Litman

Lombard Street San Francisco

Cars Are Expensive (And Other Things the Census Taught Me)

National tables from the 2013 American Household Survey (AHS) are now public.

March 31, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Inequality and Informality in New York

For a MoMA exhibition about urban inequality, Brooklyn architects SITU Studios documented informal housing in New York.

January 29, 2015 - Arup Connect

Is Housing 'Baggage' Holding America Back?

Throwing money at our housing problems is clearly not the answer, but are there ideas from markets in Europe that might work for us?

January 18, 2015 - Rooflines

'Inequality Happens?' Hopefully Not

Even local officials who prefer to talk about the fiscal rebound of their cities will not be able to accept escalating inequality as a byproduct of urban growth forever.

January 15, 2015 - Rooflines

Foreclosures Are Making People Sick

Seven years after the housing bust began, millions of Americans are still suffering. And suffering is the operative word—because both foreclosures and economic inequality impact people’s health.

January 9, 2015 - Rooflines

Would Building in Hot Markets Help Housing Affordability?

As people move back into the cities, and rental housing demand goes up, it's been an interesting time for people wrestling with the problems of highly unaffordable areas to live.

January 6, 2015 - Rooflines

Fair Housing and Community Development: Better Together!

Conversations about fair housing and place-based work too often lead to a perceived need to defend turf. Reece and Kriesberg got together instead to talk about common ground, using Rooflines as a hub for debate!

December 15, 2014 - Rooflines

Land Trusts: the Middle Ground of Housing

The Boston Globe recently ran an op-ed in support of community land trusts and inclusionary housing, which was penned by the National Housing Institute/Shelterforce and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

November 25, 2014 - Boston Globe

Nuisance Sign

When Nuisance Suits Are a Nuisance

In one Texas case, homeowners are suing a new apartment building for nuisance. If such suits become common, infill development will become less common, causing higher rents and more citywide vehicle traffic.

November 4, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

Recalling Our Basic Pride of Place

In the fifth of his "place-decoding" series from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls how we carry with us the ability to mine pride from place, even in places that are, perhaps, least expected to shine.

October 25, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Is Living in New York City a Consumption Choice?

To what degree are people's location decisions dictated by their consumer preferences? Jordan Weissmann of Slate Magazine discusses whether living in an expensive city like New York City is a consumption choice.

September 4, 2014 - Slate Magazine

Domestic Millennial

Study: Millennials Will Soon Boost the Housing Industry

Although the recession disrupted household creation by Millennials, a new study from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies suggests the generation will soon start to create households in large, influential numbers.

June 30, 2014 - The Washington Post

A Growing Body of Knowledge Examines Unauthorized Housing in Los Angeles

An academic look at unauthorized housing in the Los Angeles area: Interview of Jacob Wegmann by Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan Bell

June 21, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Greenfield Multi-Family

Supply, Demand, and Affordable Housing

Bill Witte, president of Related California, one of the most active developers of residential and commercial properties on the West Coast, talks about real estate, affordable housing, and a squeezed middle class with The Planning Report.

June 8, 2014 - The Planning Report

Arguing for More Housing in the Silicon Valley

San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King criticizes the housing policy of cities like Mountain View, Silicon Valley home to companies like Google and LinkedIn.

June 4, 2014 - SFGate

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

A Tale of Two Markets

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

May 16, 2014 - CityLab

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.