Housing & Development

illustration by Paul Hoffman

Articles and postings on a wide range of housing and development issues — from affordability to the relationship of housing to transportation.

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Take a Density Quiz

Take a Density Quiz

Dan Zack, the Downtown Coordinator for Redwood City, California, has put together a quite interesting photo quiz on the density of various residential buildings. It’s the type of quiz you might want to put together your own city or region.

Cul-de-Sac traffic sign

More on Cul-de-Sacs

Robert Parry, Director of the Westlake, Ohio, Department of Planning & Economic Development on his city’s limitations on cul-de-sacs.

Young people working on a community garden in Flint, Michigan

Not Giving Up On Flint — Part II

While Flint, Michigan, has received lots of negative attention in the media — in some ways becoming the poster boy of urban disintegration — what’s also clear is that there are many who are not giving up on Flint.

Planning ABC's illustration

I is for Inclusionary

By the early 20th century, newly adopted land use zoning controls not only physically separated industrial, commercial, and residential zones, but also by distinguished between single-family and multi-family residential zones. It was not until 1970s that the movement toward inclusionary housing began to emerge.

Planning ABC's illustration

U is for Urban Sprawl

Sprawl is not just a modern phenomenon. In a sense, American sprawl began with the horse drawn omnibus of the 1830s, which permitted the more well-to-do to escape to more country-like surroundings. But the nature of American sprawl changed radically with coming of the inexpensive automobile in the 1920s.