Search

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Gentrification is often described as affluent White populations revitalizing deteriorating neighborhoods and displacing lower-income ethnic/racial residents. However, there is limited research on gentrification led by middle- and upper-class ethnic/racial minorities, which I propose calling gentrification of color. I reviewed 46 qualitative and quantitative studies on gentrification of color in U.S. cities from 1960 to 2021 and found a range of phenomena in terms of ethnicity/race, profiles, locations, preceding policies, and consequences of gentrification of color. These studies highlighted both solidarity and tensions within the same ethnic/racial groups as a result of gentrification. Gentrification of color presents both challenges and opportunities for minorities' cultural inclusion. In addition, my study emphasized the role of policies enabling gentrification of color and the lack of affordable housing policies to address its consequences. The findings can encourage urban planners, policymakers, and scholars to adopt a policy approach that acknowledges the complex intersectionality of race/ethnicity and class. Takeaway for practice: I urge urban planners and policymakers to incorporate the intersectionality of race/ethnicity and class into their approach to gentrification. On one hand, it is important for urban planners to collaborate with gentrifiers of color to foster culturally inclusive urban development. However, it is equally crucial for urban planners to acknowledge that issues such as displacement of lower-income individuals, intra-ethnic class disparities, and conflicting interests may be concealed under the notion of ethnic solidarity. Therefore, urban planning experts and policymakers should prioritize policies that support economically disadvantaged residents, such as affordable housing, while actively seeking their input and perspectives in municipal decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the vision and goals of the new editor of the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA). The editor aims to solidify JAPA's reputation as a leading journal in the field of urban and regional planning by connecting theoretical frameworks with practical applications. The editor also emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary perspectives, inclusivity, practical relevance, and staying up-to-date with emerging themes in urban planning. The goal is to expand accessibility and engagement with the journal, creating a platform for knowledge sharing and constructive feedback. The article encourages readers, authors, academics, and practitioners to contribute their unique perspectives and ideas to shape the future of cities and regions. [Extracted from the article]

To be clear, I personally love the same Tokyo urbanism as the authors and also dislike the towers-on-podium design, but as urban planners we should remind ourselves that time and again, people hate new buildings until one day the same buildings are treasured historic landmarks. Emergent Tokyo: Designing the Spontaneous City: Jorge Almazan + Studiolab (2022). The authors use a variety of detailed government data and architectural and urban design analysis to describe urban archetypes that are distinctly Tokyo. [Extracted from the article]

Problem, research strategy and findings: The 8.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck south-central Chile on February 27, 2010, affected 75% of the country's population and damaged or destroyed 370,000 housing units (about 10% of the housing in six regions). Within six months, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development published a plan to repair or rebuild 220,000 units of low- and middle-income housing with government assistance within four years. By February 2014, 94% of the housing was complete. The successful rebuilding effort had strong leadership at the national and local levels and used existing programs and institutions. The management staff adapted programs over time to meet the needs of local conditions. When compared with housing recovery programs in other countries, Chile's program stands out, combining national government management with local citizen input. The reconstruction plan also included updated zoning plans, road and infrastructure improvements, heritage recovery, and new master plans for affected cities. Going forward, the earthquake created an opportunity for Chile to use the recovery planning to expand national urban policy and to develop a framework for citizen participation at the local level.Takeaway for practice: Successful planning in disaster recovery involves strong government leadership and coordination together with the engagement of local government and the participation of citizens.

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Small towns and cities outside of national parks, scenic public lands, and other natural amenities throughout the western United States are becoming increasingly popular places to live and visit. As a result, many of these gateway communities appear to be experiencing a range of pressures and challenges. In this study we draw on the results of in-depth interviews with 33 public officials and a survey of more than 300 public officials to shed light on the planning and development concerns across western gateway communities. Our results indicate that gateway communities throughout the western United States are experiencing a range of planning and development challenges, many of which seem atypical for small rural communities, such as challenges associated with housing affordability, cost of living, and congestion. These challenges seem to be more related to population growth than increasing tourism and stand out in stark contrast against the fact that these communities strongly value and identify with their small-town character. Our findings suggest gateway communities are doing a variety of things, some quite innovative, to address their planning and development challenges but often feel overwhelmed, behind the curve, and in need of additional capacity and planning support. Takeaway for practice: Our study highlights the importance of effective and proactive planning in gateway communities. It also suggests that to do forward-looking planning and to respond to the challenges they face, many gateway communities will need additional planning support and tools. We highlight gateway communities here to provide a platform for future efforts aimed at assisting these small, rural communities in protecting the qualities that make them such special places to live and visit amid the planning and development pressures and challenges they face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

David R. Godschalk, professor emeritus in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, passed away in early 2018. In this essay we reflect on Dave's planning scholarship and practice. We discuss his main contributions in 4 prominent areas. First is the importance of public participation and collaboration for the planning and governance of communities. He argued for democratizing and recasting public participation, with planners working alongside community members coproducing plans and incorporating uncertainty, new information, and different viewpoints. Second is Dave's focus on the tenets of the comprehensive plan and its core element, the land use plan. In the plan, central principles of livable urban forms and model planning processes can be integrated and translated to practice. With academic collaborators and practitioners he pioneered theoretical and empirical research on what constitutes a high-quality plan, a fundamental question at the heart of planning. Third is his research demonstrating how spatial planning can be used for hazard mitigation and urban resilience. This work forged a new generation of planning academics and practitioners who focused on hazard plans for predisaster mitigation and postdisaster recovery at multiple governmental levels. Finally, fourth is his personal involvement in planning-related institutions that he helped create, lead, or steer. In his various roles as scholar, teacher, mentor, collaborator, supervisor, planning director, and elected official, Dave touched the lives of many who now build on his contributions in creating better communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing up in a shifting urban environment during the major socioeconomic transition in the Bronx (NY) in the 1950s and 1960s, my interests in neighborhood change peaked with the changes in housing, the impact of urban renewal, the need for more open-space recreation, the arrival of the interstate highways, and the new faces of the population. These childhood observations led me to pursue an urban planning career. I have had experiences in a variety of functional areas across the tri-state metropolitan area of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. In striving to be a more complete planner, I added depth to my career as an adjunct academician, leader in APA/AICP, and community volunteer practicing what I preached. I learned that these various roles and experiences related to one another and advanced my understanding of urban planning in a synergistic way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the editor discusses the periodical as a generalist journal which cover topics from urban design to planning theory and allow important conversations to occur targeting other specialists. It mentions paper relating to transportation needs to hold some relevance for those who are experts in areas such as land use, environment, housing, community development. It also mentions American Planning Association (APA) as a directions for future research and aspirational policy ideas.

Problem, research strategy, and findings: U.S. communities rarely plan for recovery after a disaster, but planners have the skills to help communities redevelop, particularly in rebuilding housing, a key to community recovery. Planners, however, need appropriate and timely data on initial damage and rebuilding over time to apply for available funding, determine needs for temporary housing, address equity issues, develop appropriate policy interventions, track progress, and communicate transparently with all stakeholders. There is no accepted cost-effective and systematic method of providing those data. We developed a scalable method in which we photograph and assess the extent of home damage and rebuilding by reorienting existing damage assessment methods to provide data that can be linked to GIS and other local data to meet planning needs. We test the utility of our approach in West (TX), the site of a catastrophic fertilizer facility explosion in 2013. We compare our damage assessments to county property tax reappraisals after the disaster, finding that our approach is more accurate, generally identifying less damage and greater rebuilding than the county assumed. We conclude that our method improves on windshield surveys and other suggested methods of collecting damage and rebuilding data; it can provide efficient assessments of damage and rebuilding in technological disasters. Takeaway for practice: We created a simple and cost-effective method of assessing initial damage to homes after a disaster and of measuring the extent of rebuilding. This method provides photos and easy-to-understand data that planners can use to meet multiple reporting requirements, to reassess redevelopment strategies, and to report progress to stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and findings:I question whether the strength of affordable housing policies in local comprehensive plans is associated with better affordable housing outcomes, which I measure as a decrease in the share of low-income households who spend more than 30% of their income for housing, otherwise known as cost-burdened households. I first assess the strength of affordable housing policies in 58 local comprehensive plans, counting the number of—and degree of coercion in—those affordable housing policies. I then analyze the relationship between the strength of affordable housing policies and changes in the share of low-income households with cost burden. I find that the strength of affordable housing policies is higher in the Atlanta (GA) metropolitan area than in the Detroit (MI) metropolitan area. I also find that the strength of affordable housing policies is positively associated with a decrease in the share of low-income households paying more than 30% of their income for housing in the Atlanta metropolitan area. I do not find a comparable relationship between plan strength and housing outcomes in the Detroit metropolitan area. I also find that the state role matters: Georgia provides more support and guidance for local comprehensive planning, and for affordable housing policies in those plans, than does Michigan. Takeaway for practice:Planners should continually promote local comprehensive plans that include more and stronger affordable housing policies and advocate for greater state support for comprehensive planning and affordable housing policies because these appear to lead to a greater likelihood of implementing stronger plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and ­findings: Planners and city and county managers regularly work together but often face ethical conundrums. We compare the codes of ethics from their two U.S. professional organizations—the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA)—and then apply the AICP Code of Ethics to five published ICMA ethics scenarios to determine how the two professions might respond differently in each. We find common professional values in the codes: equality, creativity, and diligence. The AICP Code, however, emphasizes direct democracy and engaging citizens, while the ICMA Code emphasizes representative democracy and engaging elected officials. Code values and actual behaviors are not always related, but we believe our work shows the source of ethical challenges and power struggles between managers and planners. Takeaway for practice: Planners can learn from ICMA’s Code to focus on elected officials. Managers can learn from AICP’s Code to focus on citizens. Planners and managers can overcome their professional biases and blind spots by understanding the ethical codes under which the other profession operates. Planners work from the outside in, managers from the inside out; working together, they can improve the communities they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and ­findings: Planning scholars and practitioners once assumed informal housing was largely absent in the developed world; today they increasingly acknowledge its role in the United States. Recent evidence suggests that informal housing, or non-permitted construction, is a significant phenomenon inside incorporated cities, despite widespread regulations and code enforcement. Informal housing is a de facto source of otherwise scarce affordable housing in many locations, but also compromises health and safety and strains municipal infrastructure and fiscal health. Planners lack a means of measuring informal construction at the scale of individual cities. We propose such a method, and apply it to incorporated cities in California. Data limitations prevent us from precisely estimating the magnitude of non-permitted construction, but our findings suggest that informal channels are an important source of housing production, especially in the places where permitted construction is constrained. Takeaway for practice: We urge planners to engage with informal housing issues, given the considerable importance of this hidden yet vital portion of the housing market as a means of providing living spaces amid tight housing market conditions. Our method for calculating the rate of informal housing addition is a useful tool for planners to gather basic facts about the informal housing market in their communities, a prerequisite for policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and findings:The online accommodation platform Airbnb has expanded globally, raising substantial planning and regulatory concerns. We ask whether Airbnb rentals generate significant neighborhood impacts like noise, congestion, and competition for parking; reduce the permanent rental housing supply and increase rental prices; or provide income opportunities that help “hosts” afford their own housing. We focus on Sydney, the largest region in Australia with 4.4 million people in 28 individual municipalities, which has experienced both rapidly rising housing costs and exponential growth in Airbnb listings since 2011. Airbnb’s growth has raised concerns serious enough to result in a formal Parliamentary Inquiry by the state of New South Wales. We analyze stakeholder submissions to this inquiry and review local planning regulations, Airbnb listings data, and housing market and census statistics. We find that online homesharing platforms for visitor accommodations blur traditional boundaries between residential and tourist areas so Airbnb listings may fall outside of existing land use regulations or evade detection until neighbors complain. Our findings are constrained by the difficulties of monitoring online operations and the rapid changes in the industry. Takeaway for practice:Planners and policymakers in cities with increasing numbers of Airbnb rentals need to review how well local planning controls manage the neighborhood nuisances, traffic, and parking problems that may be associated with them while acting to protect the permanent rental housing supply. Local planners need to ensure that zoning and residential development controls distinguish between different forms of short-term Airbnb accommodation listings and their potential impacts on neighborhoods and housing markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Problem, research strategy, and findings:There is little consensus about the effects of rail transit on residential development, especially in suburbs, despite high expectations. I revisit this issue by examining a “best case”: I test the impacts of rail transit on housing development around suburban rail stations in Portland (OR), a region with multiple supportive transit-oriented development policies. I conducted longitudinal analyses of housing development in quarter-mile catchment areas around 57 suburban rail transit stations in suburban Portland from 2004 to 2014, a longer time period than many previous studies, evaluating factors that helped station areas attract residential development. Housing developments, most multifamily, grew much faster in the quarter-mile catchment areas around suburban stations put into service in or before 2004 than the regional average. Areas around stations opened after 2004 have few residential developments. More residential development is associated with higher system ridership, more vacant land zoned for residential and mixed-use purposes, greater shares of nonresidential land, and higher shares of the White population. Faster density increases were associated with more vacant land zoned for high-density and mixed-use purposes. Takeaway for practice:Rail systems may need to be in operation longer to affect land use than the study periods in some previous research. Rail transit can guide suburban residential development in neighborhoods with enough vacant land, some nonresidential destinations, and appropriate zoning. Multiple supportive public policies and incentives appear to have a major impact, but may not be effective alone unless these preconditions are met. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Advocates of community benefits agreements (CBAs) between coalitions of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and real estate developers contend that CBAs promote public accountability and responsiveness to community concerns. This study assesses the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District (LASED) CBA, which scholars and practitioners have described as a model for such agreements. I assess compliance with key provisions of the agreement related to jobs, affordable housing, and parks and recreational facilities. I also assess whether compliance with these provisions has yielded benefits beyond those required under existing laws and regulations. I find that the parties to the agreement have technically complied with many, although arguably not all, of its provisions. But some of the provisions in the CBA are not legally binding, other provisions overlap with requirements that the developer would have had to satisfy even without the CBA, and some reports required by the CBA are unavailable. As a result, outcomes such as living wage jobs and funding for affordable housing units are not clearly attributable to the CBA; other outcomes, such as targeted hiring, are unknown due to a lack of relevant information. Takeaway for practice: Although CBAs may not fulfill all the claims that advocates make on their behalf, they can play important roles in community development by directing public and private spending to underserved neighborhoods. But collecting and verifying the relevant data may be challenging, even if reporting requirements are clearly spelled out in the CBA. As the complexity of a CBA increases, so do the challenges of assessing outcomes and assigning responsibility for those outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Local housing authorities across the U.S. have demolished and disposed of close to 260,000 units of public housing in the past 25 years. While some of these units have been replaced in new mixed-income communities, thousands have been converted to tenant-based subsidies or lost altogether. Using a combination of primary and secondary source materials to build the case for policy change since the 1980s, I trace the recent history of the public housing program to describe how and why this transformation has taken place. Growing concern for concentrations of poverty led to the emergence of mixed-income housing and mobility strategies for low-income, subsidized households. These ideas have come to dominate public housing in the United States. The adoption of new urbanist planning and design principles has also moved public housing policy toward demolition and redevelopment and away from the original model, which persisted for six decades. Political shifts in the 1990s that threatened the existence of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the economic boom experienced by many central cities, have led to widespread demolition of public housing, its replacement with public and private partnerships of mixed-income redevelopment, and renewed private investment in inner-city neighborhoods that had been home to public housing. Takeaway for practice: Older public housing complexes have become sites of redevelopment and investment opportunity in central city areas. This has meant a retrenchment in the public housing program and a shift in housing assistance away toward tenant-based subsidies. The result is fewer permanently affordable units available for very low-income households. Research support: None. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: The contentious politics of the demolition of Lafitte public housing in post-Katrina New Orleans and its replacement with mixed-income properties is a telling case of the strategic conflicts housing advocates face in public housing revitalization. It reveals how the qualified outcomes of HOPE VI interact with local institutional and historical circumstances to confound the equity and social justice goals of housing and community development advocates. It shows the limits to public housing revitalization as an urban recovery strategy when hostile government leadership characterizes a region, and the state is recast as an adversary rather than revitalization partner. This case is part of a longer ethnographic project on post-Katrina New Orleans recovery. Takeaway for practice: Housing and community development advocacy for urban revitalization strategies is limited without a supportive state partner to endorse and smooth programmatic efforts. Public housing revitalization, especially the legacy and derivatives of HOPE VI, is imbued with multiple, often conflicting meanings and expectations across its range of stakeholders. Nonprofit housing advocates charged with integrating revitalization schemes in communities with historic government-civil society conflict can expect resistance and challenges from both the state and civil society actors. Research support: Portions of this research were supported by The Social Science Research Council and the Harold Horowitz Fund at MIT. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Problem: Policymakers and planners have broadly conceptualized and widely adopted the mixed-income approach to provision of low-income housing. Yet, few case studies examine the relationship between theoretical propositions about how mixed-income tenancy can help lift families out of poverty and the actual dynamics of a mixed-income housing development. Purpose: I address this gap by examining the social dynamics within a mixed-income housing development in Boston, MA, and compare the dynamics observed there to those assumed in the theoretical literature. Methods: I use qualitative data, including ethnographic methods, such as participant observation and resident interviews from a mixed-income housing development to analyze the relationship between the case presented and four theoretical propositions about how mixed-income tenancy can aid low-income families. Results and conclusions: The evidence from the field research site provides mixed support for the theoretical propositions regarding the potential benefits to low-income residents from living in mixed-income developments. First, some evidence supports the idea that residents influence one another's behavior, although such influence was not exclusively cross-class. Second, contrary to expectations in the literature, higher-income households rarely worked to improve neighborhood services, except in the cases of policing and security. Third, as expected, higher resourced individuals did promote greater informal social control, yet subsidized residents did as well. Finally, theoretically, higher-income residents can enhance low-income residents' social capital, including increasing their access to employment opportunities. Market-rate residents did provide some useful interpersonal resources, although there was no evidence that they directed their disadvantaged neighbors toward jobs. Finally, the property management company had an important influence on the outcomes for each of these propositions, suggesting that the role of management in promoting theoretical ideals needs further theoretical scrutiny and practical consideration. Takeaway for practice: Practitioners should be aware that mixed-income developments can be used to achieve the social goals of reducing negative behavior, improving local services, enhancing social control, and developing social capital, although all of these will likely be limited. Most importantly, the role of onsite management and service providers is pivotal in assuring that mixed-income developments maximize the likelihood that developments achieve the theoretical ideals. Research support: This research was partially funded by the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Manufactured housing is an option that is relatively little used in metropolitan communities although it appears to provide a quality-cost advantage over site-built housing. Purpose: This article examines barriers to placing manufactured housing in metropolitan areas that planners might influence, focusing particularly on land use and design regulations. Methods: We paired data from a nationwide survey of planners in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-eligible metropolitan communities with information on those communities' characteristics to estimate several regression models explaining two measures of manufactured housing supply using both supply- and demand-side variables. Results and conclusions: A variety of regulatory restrictions, including the lack of by-right zoning, as well as permits, snow load standards, fire codes, zoning codes, subdivision regulations, and architectural design standards impede the placement of manufactured housing in metropolitan communities. In general, such regulations determine whether or not jurisdictions have any manufactured housing at all; if they do, market conditions have the primary influence on the number of such units in a community. Takeaway for practice: Planners play an important role in determining whether manufactured housing is a feasible housing alternative when they assess the demand for manufactured housing and recommend policies that will influence whether units are placed in their communities. We suggest that planners emphasize manufactured housing as an affordable housing option and we offer suggestions for accomplishing this. Research support: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: From the antislum crusades of the Progressive Era to the idealistic regional planning and public housing movements of the New Deal, the postwar urban renewal controversies, and recent attempts at integrating suburban America, housing advocates have pressed urban planners to take up the moral challenges of their profession. Many planners, especially since the 1960s, have met the challenges by embracing social goals. Yet, time and again, major efforts for social change have been defeated or diluted, sometimes with the very planning tools that were created for reform purposes. Purpose: I aim to explore the relationship of housing reform to the field of urban and regional planning over the last century and understand why housing and planning reformers have been unable to achieve their goals. Methods: I survey and synthesize secondary and primary sources on the history of housing reform and the planning profession in the United States. Results and conclusions: Over the last century local property owners, business leaders, and political officials have exploited the framework of the American political system to appropriate or defeat idealistic housing and planning schemes. Whether the reform was zoning, garden cities, public housing, urban renewal, or the integration of suburbs by income and race, parochial interests have deterred or diverted policies for their own ends. The weak point in carrying out progressive goals has been the inability to overcome local opposition. Takeaway for practice: Successful implementation of social housing and planning programs in the United States depends on recognizing the ways that local prerogatives have undermined reform efforts in the past and organizing support for them at the local level in the future. Research support: This work was supported by the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Does how planners talk about issues have an impact on public support? Purpose: I examine whether the words used to describe a policy make a difference for the level of acceptance of that policy. Methods: I conducted a random survey of suburban residents. One-half of the sample were randomly chosen to answer a question about their support for affordable housing; the other half were asked to answer the identical question except that it substituted the words lifecycle housing for the previous phrase. Results and conclusions: The difference in wording produced a difference in public opinion of more than 30 percentage points, with those whose question referred to lifecycle housing expressing greater support. This difference was significant among White, non-Hispanic respondents; there was no significant difference among other (non-White) respondents. The phrase affordable housing seems to be stigmatized and perhaps associated with race among the residents of this affluent, White suburb. This study examines public support in the context of an opinion survey and these results may not apply to attitudes about actual projects or policies. Takeaway for practice: Under the right circumstances, the words planners use might expand policy options available to local officials. Proper framing may allow some previously infeasible policies to succeed. Research support: None [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: It is widely believed that housing affects both residents' social and economic opportunities and the prospects for neighborhood upgrading. Housing plus refers to the public or nonprofit sectors providing affordable housing together with services that support family well-being and community development within subsidized rental housing developments. In this article I consider whether providing housing plus services rather than housing alone should be national policy. Purpose: This article provides an overview of the national housing-plus initiatives for families, what is known about their effectiveness, how nonprofit organizations are implementing them, how they affect participants, and recommendations for changes in state and federal policies. Methods: I review the literature assessing resident-focused housing-plus programs and draw on interviews with staff at eight large regional nonprofit organizations that provide such programs. Results and conclusions: There is little rigorous research on the efficacy of the housing-plus approach. However, the people I interviewed considered the housing-plus approach a key component of their organizations' anti-poverty missions. I conclude that public and private entities should support nonprofit organizations' resident-focused housing-plus initiatives by initiating rigorous evaluations and creating mechanisms for funding. I note that these programs have the potential to create some unintended negative side effects, which should be addressed. Takeaway for practice: Not every nonprofit housing organization should offer housing plus services themselves. Rather, some should develop referral relationships with other service providers. Nonprofits aiming to deliver housing plus services should determine in advance how they will cover costs, and how they will assess effectiveness. They should involve residents in selecting, implementing and evaluating these programs. Research Support: None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Housing programs of the past have exacerbated the problems of concentrated poverty. Current housing programs serving very low-income households, including homebuyers as well as renters, should be examined to determine the extent to which they help households make entry into neighborhoods with low concentrations of poverty. Purpose: This research is designed to assist planners in understanding how well various approaches to resolving housing affordability problems can facilitate the poverty deconcentration process. Methods: Administrative data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are used to assess the degree to which federal housing programs help lowincome homebuyers and renters locate in neighborhoods where less than 10% of the population is below poverty. Results and conclusions: Subsidizing households ought to be more effective than subsidizing housing units at helping lowincome households locate in low-poverty areas, and whether a household rents or buys should not matter to whether a program succeeds at deconcentration of the poor. Yet, analysis of national datasets across several housing programs finds neither of the previous propositions to be true. Housing vouchers suppliedto households are not helping renters locate in low-poverty areas any more effectively than are current project-based subsidies. It also turns out that tenure matters; a disproportionately higher share of low-income homebuyers are locating in low-poverty neighborhoods than are lowincome renters. Takeaway for practice: I recommend that housing planners seeking to make poverty deconcentration more effective use housing placement counselors, administer programs at the metropolitan scale, lease and broker market-rate housing directly, promote mixed-income LIHTC developments, practice inclusionary zoning, and monitor the impacts of these efforts. Research support: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate the effect of design on the assessed values of new housing units in high-poverty Chicago census tracts with a parcel-based hedonic regression in which we distinguish between three urban design types: enclave, traditional neighborhood development (TND), and infill. We find that urban design significantly affects housing values, and infill housing is more highly valued than either enclave or TND housing. We also examine the influences of individual urban design features and find that residents prefer entrances that face the street, and facades constructed from the same material as adjacent buildings. They also prefer parking in front of their homes, and to be buffered from public streets. We interpret the former to be preferences for greater integration into the surrounding neighbourhood, consistent with our findings on infill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I analyze the consequences of a recent statewide affordable housing planning mandate in Illinois. My survey of local officials uncovered widespread resistance and grudging compliance. At the mandate deadline, 36 of 49 prosperous suburban municipalities had the required plans, but most of these plans met the minimum legal requirements and failed to acknowledge prior exclusion or propose specific remedies. I find evidence of subregional collaboration among municipal officials, indicating they are aware of their inter-dependence though they remain strongly attached to local autonomy. My results demonstrate how unpopular the mandate was with local officials, potentially explaining why meeting its goals may require some time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although prohibited by the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, studies in the 1980s found that racial steering by real estate agents in the U.S. was still occurring. That legislation was strengthened in I988, but throughout the 1990s, no study examined whether these tougher strictures helped eliminate steering. In 2000, HUD and the Urban Institute conducted the national Housing Discrimination Study in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas to replicate and extend that earlier work. In this article, we report the results of this latest study, which examined three types of steering and three steering mechanisms, all at three geographic scales. The results indicate that steering of all types is occur- ring when Black and White homebuyers are involved. In at least 12 to 15% of the cases, agents provided gratuitous commentary that gave more information to White homebuyers and encouraged them to choose homes in areas with more White and fewer poor households. Steering is less prevalent when Hispanic and White buyers are involved. We also found no evidence that steering declined over the last decade, despite the toughening of the federal legislation in 1988. We conclude by discussing the implications for interracial wealth differentials and new fair housing enforcement initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the increasing number of residents in city downtowns in the United States. Reasons for the increased number of downtown residents; Approaches to developing downtown housing; Relationship between housing and employment in downtown areas.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including housing production in California, community plan making in the wake of ethnic conflict in Israel, and whether compact development make people drive less.

Housing studies have evolved over 80 years from a set of disparate techniques into comprehensive fair-share housing allocation plans. During this evolution the individual studies also have served a variety of political purposes, although housers and planners have not always admitted to them. In the latest development, a few states have sought to implement these plans by explicitly bringing them squarely into the political arena. They have done so by using analysis and planning as an agenda for improved intergovernmental sharing of control over land use decisions. Provides a historical review of the evolution of these studies and their political uses. It concludes with some possible next steps in the evolution of housing studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]