This book argues that communities need better planning to be safely navigated by people with mobility impairment and to facilitate intergenerational aging in place.

With its first three volumes, Popular Mechanics MoneySmart Makeovers is helping thousands redo their kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms. Now the successful series--written by one of the most trusted experts in DIY--steps outside, with authentic makeovers that anyone can accomplish. After discussing in detail all the basics that go into constructing a good porch, deck or patio, Rick Peters gets to work and remodels one of each, three times-- economy, mid-range, and high-range-to demonstrate what you can achieve on a real- world budget. While there are beautiful shots to inspire you to try your own makeover, these are no studio set-ups, every project was designed and carried out on an actual family's home.

"Zoning has for a century enabled cities to chart their own course. It is a useful and popular institution, enabling homeowners to protect their main investment and provide safe neighborhoods. As home values have soared in recent years, however, this protection has accelerated to the degree that new housing development has become unreasonably difficult and costly. The widespread Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) syndrome is driven by voters’ excessive concern about their home values and creates barriers to growth that reach beyond individual communities. The barriers contribute to suburban sprawl, entrench income and racial segregation, retard regional immigration to the most productive cities, add to national wealth inequality, and slow the growth of the American economy. Some state, federal, and judicial interventions to control local zoning have done more harm than good. More effective approaches would moderate voters’ demand for local-land use regulation—by, for example, curtailing federal tax subsidies to owner-occupied housing"--Publisher's description.