Schoolyards: An Untapped Community Resource?

By Emma Vinella-Brusher 100 million. That’s how many Americans, including 28 million children, do not have access to a neighborhood park.[1] Despite the seeming abundance of local natural spaces, lack of park access is a problem here in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, too – according to The Trust for Public Land, a combined 23,909 residents (~30%) of both towns live farther than a 10 minute walk … Continue reading Schoolyards: An Untapped Community Resource?

What prevents older LGBTQ+ adults from aging in place? An interview with Marisa Turesky, Urban Planning Ph.D. Candidate  

By Candela Cerpa The importance of home and community can shift with stages in life and major events, as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted for many of us. Aging can be one of those stages, as people’s needs and wants change. In 2021, the AARP’s Home and Community Preferences Survey showed that 77% of adults aged 50 and older want to “remain in their homes for the … Continue reading What prevents older LGBTQ+ adults from aging in place? An interview with Marisa Turesky, Urban Planning Ph.D. Candidate  

How Decisions are Made: The People’s Park Housing Project in Berkeley, CA 

By Kathryn Cunningham Back in 2017, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ and City of Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín announced a housing development project at People’s Park. This project, set to start construction in late 2022, will redevelop the park into housing for students, low-income residents, and the unhoused. The City also promised to preserve 60% of the land for historical commemoration and green space.   Not … Continue reading How Decisions are Made: The People’s Park Housing Project in Berkeley, CA 

What are the Urbanists Listening to?

By Emma Vinella-Brusher Looking for some podcasts to listen to while walking to class, doing chores, or avoiding homework? Check out some of our favorite urbanist (or urbanist-adjacent) podcasts and featured episodes below. And if you’re looking for, even more, our September 2020 post includes a few more recommendations. 99% Invisible323- The House that Came in the Mail AgainDesign is everywhere in our lives, perhaps … Continue reading What are the Urbanists Listening to?

Book Review from the Journal: Urban Legends, Peter L’Official

In anticipation of Volume 47 of the Carolina Planning Journal coming out next month, this week we are featuring another book review from Volume 46, The White Problem in Planning. Veronica Brown reflects on Peter L’Official’s Urban Legends: The South Bronx in Representation and Ruin. Book Review by Veronica Brown A few televised moments speak to their era so well that they surpass television history … Continue reading Book Review from the Journal: Urban Legends, Peter L’Official

Facing Forward and Held Back: Mapping the Role of Zoning in a Progressive Small Town’s Housing Crisis

By Henry Read For the better part of a century in the United States, exclusion, restriction, and fastidiousness were core values within the accepted best practices around zoning and development. While national trends seem to slowly be reversing course toward less aggressive regulation of uses and limitations on density, the built, legal, and economic environment in communities across the country strongly reflect this history. Even … Continue reading Facing Forward and Held Back: Mapping the Role of Zoning in a Progressive Small Town’s Housing Crisis

Book Review from the Journal: Golden Gates, Conor Dougherty

This week, we are featuring another book review from Volume 46 of the Carolina Planning Journal, The White Problem in Planning. Nora Louise Schwaller reflects on Conor Dougherty’s Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America. Book Review by Nora Louise Schwaller There is no state where an individual working a full-time minimum-wage job can afford a one-bedroom housing unit without paying in excess of 30% … Continue reading Book Review from the Journal: Golden Gates, Conor Dougherty

Exclusionary Zoning in North Carolina

By Elijah Gullett This memo provides a brief summary of the history and background of zoning laws, both federally and within the state of North Carolina, as well as the impacts of NC’s current exclusionary zoning status quo on housing affordability, economic opportunity and development, racial and class disparities, as well as its environmental consequences. This memo also addresses counter arguments raised by proponents of … Continue reading Exclusionary Zoning in North Carolina

YIMBYism & Housing Justice

By Elijah Gullett In response to the post-2008 housing crisis, a pro-building, pro-development movement, often referred to as “Yes-In-My-Backyard” (YIMBYs), has grown significantly over the last few years. Self-titled YIMBY organizations (some more formal than others) have popped up across US cities to advocate for the abolition of “exclusionary” (single family) zoning, as well as other state and local regulations that slow the development process.[i] … Continue reading YIMBYism & Housing Justice

Trailer Park Urbanism

By Elijah Gullett Manufactured homes (also known as mobile homes or trailers) are a significant component of the housing stock in the United States. In North Carolina alone, mobile homes make up 12% of the housing stock.[i] Despite their prevalence, manufactured housing is plagued with stigmas. The derogatory term, “trailer trash”, is still a common phrase. These stigmas appear in state and local regulations as … Continue reading Trailer Park Urbanism