Planetizen California Housing
From Housing Developer to Landlord
Homebuilders in recession-struck Bakersfield, California, have turned into landlords, renting their units while they wait for the housing market to rebound.
The Suburban Cycle of Life
Adam Meyer describes his parents' and grandparents' experiences growing up in the San Gabriel valley of east Los Angeles and charts the changes that have taken place since they first moved there in the 1950s.
Brownfield Approved For Huge, Controversial Mixed-Use Redevelopment
By an 8-3 vote at 1:35 AM, July 14, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a plan to add 10,500 homes (32% affordable) on a 720-acre brownfield site known as Hunters Point, a former shipyard, including 320 acres of parkland and open space.
Foreclosure Rate Highest Among Wealthy
What's not known is how many of the homes are investments, or primary or secondary residences, but it's clear that the foreclosure rate for mortgages exceeding $1million is higher than for lower priced homes, according to the New York Times analysis.
Villaraigosa Must Back His New Planner With Comprehensive Reorganization
Mayor Villaraigosa must appoint a planning director who will overcome the sprawling bureaucracy that has hindered much of the LA's endeavors, says the Los Angeles Times.
Decline and Despair in Exurbia
This story from the Los Angeles Times looks at the downfall of exurban growth in the High Desert of Southern California, and the families caught in the downfall.
Vision California Calls for Compact Development in Established Cities
Vision California, the state's first planning document in over thirty years, was released Wednesday and concludes that planners "should focus on creating compact development in already established cities," over continued suburban sprawl.
Mortgage Headache Spawns Legislation in California
Mortgage debt is crippling the housing market all over the country, and the homeowners who've taken on more debt than they can afford. Now, real estate interests and banking interests are battling over legislation intended to ease the pain.
Request for Proposals: Mixed-Use Affordable Senior and Family Housing in South Los Angeles
The Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) and the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) are pleased to announce the release of a Request for Development Proposals (RFP) for the Dunbar Hotel and Somerville Apartments, three separate properties located at 4201-4263 South Central Avenue. This RFP represents a unique opportunity to revitalize a key intersection of the Central Avenue Corridor, one of the most historically and culturally rich areas of South Los Angeles.
Foreclosure Crisis - Not What It Seems?
Millions of American homeowners are underwater facing the loss of their home, causing devastating effects on the national and local economy. But when a homeowner decides to walk away from his or her home, is that a sign of crisis or a shrewd move?
Are San Francisco Planners Going Too Far?
Architects in San Francisco say that the Planning Department has gotten increasingly involved in design decisions over the past two years, favoring traditional projects over contemporary designs.
Mini-Homes for Homeless
A Fresno, CA architect has designed and built a number of tiny buildings made out of recycled materials as homes for the homeless, but has yet to find a site that will take them.
Building Boom In Land Of Foreclosures
It seems inconceivable - building new homes next to new, vacant homes, but with depressed prices for land and labor a new market for home-buyers who missed out on foreclosure sales has developed in states hit worst by the housing crisis.
Toxic Suburbia
A 50-acre section of the Los Angeles suburb of Carson is contaminated with methane gas and benzene. Owners of the 285 homes in the area are left with few options.
Market Crash Leaves L.A. Flush With High-Priced Plots
Bought at the height of the real estate market and intended for conversion into high-priced luxury apartment buildings, empty plots of land are littered throughout Los Angeles, undeveloped and quietly back on the market at greatly reduced prices.
Request for Qualifications/Proposals –Residential Mixed Use Development Site, El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency
The El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency is requesting proposals for development of an affordable residential mixed-use project on a key site adjacent to El Cerrito’s new City Hall.
