Housing and Urban Issues
Stresses on urban communities continue to affect housing, food security, child services, homelessness, business development and crime. Coverage includes stories about new solutions to how cities are run, how they develop as urban centers and about the people who live there.
A sweeping report shows that inadequate building, high interest rates and wage stagnation have pushed housing costs too high for workers in surprising numbers of professions.
At least 20 of the nation’s 25 largest cities face budget gaps in 2026. As cities lean on reserves and costs outpace revenues, experts warn state flexibility will be critical.
After Katrina, most of the city's schools became charters. Although the change brought results, the importance of accountability measures should not be forgotten.
Two years ago, lawmakers in the Big Sky State passed one of the most comprehensive state-level housing reform packages in the country. This year, they doubled down on their success.
Detectives credit long hours, strong community trust, and cross-unit collaboration for solving every homicide case since 2022.
A new statewide energy code seeks to lower emissions and utility bills, but homebuilders may push back over concerns about affordability.
The president’s deployment of the military to our cities undermines a critical constitutional safeguard for democracy. Just look at what’s happened in some other countries.
Median home values have risen 60 percent since 2012, yet the city has 20,000 fewer housing units than before the storm, with nearly 29,000 still vacant.
The judgments we make about them can be difficult to shake, even when their reality has changed a lot.
There are plenty of strategies that have proven effective at dramatically reducing crime. Sending soldiers into the streets of our cities isn’t one of them.
Eighteen youths have been killed so far in 2025. Local leaders are turning to mentorship, counseling, and community programs to reach kids before violence does.
The 2025 count shows more than 22,000 homeless on a single night and nearly 159,000 overall, up 25 percent since 2022 despite unprecedented spending.
City and county programs now offer $500 monthly to vulnerable tenants plus support services, but only 740 are served — far below the 1,425 goal. More funding is needed to avert displacement.
The city spends more than $500,000 a year on ShotSpotter, plus millions in labor costs, but data show few arrests or firearms recovered.
Cities and states scrambled to house homeless people in hotels and motels during the emergency phase of the pandemic. Many communities still find it’s a good model.
More than 300 residents are being relocated because of public safety concerns and plans to restore Columbus Park for recreation.
Statewide filings rose 12 percent in July, with the Las Vegas metro placing third nationally in foreclosure rates.
The closure of the department’s DEI office and cuts to federal diversity programs could stall hiring progress for years.
A 2024 state law aimed to double accessory dwelling units, but Honolulu has added only 1,320, about half the anticipated pace. Residents cite permitting delays, sewer constraints and construction burdens.
After 30 years patrolling the city’s toughest neighborhoods, Louie Wong now leads the San Francisco Police Officers Association with promises to pursue better pay and earlier retirement benefits.
Invoking the 1973 Home Rule Act, the president put MPD under federal control, activated National Guard troops and vowed to “take our capital back.”
Cities like Holyoke, Springfield and Fitchburg struggle to attract developers amid weak housing markets and costly environmental cleanup.
There’s much to applaud in the ways Columbia now celebrates its Black heritage. But too much of that celebration is limited to Black residents.
With killings down by more than half from the 2021 peak, officials say progress is real but fragile, and deep-seated social issues remain unresolved.
The park in Portland, Ore., takes up little space but has a whimsical history.
The fallout from a strike by prison guards continues to paralyze prisons, forcing officials to suspend programs and rely on emergency deployments.
A new report shows homicides fell 17 percent in early 2025, but experts caution the trend is concentrated in a few major cities and not yet clearly linked to specific policy changes.
While U.S. housing stock is up 29 percent, Las Vegas stands out as the epicenter of the trend, with listings soaring 77 percent across the metro area.
Beaverton, Ore., is looking for new ways to support cooperative housing development for senior residents. It’s among 50 finalist cities in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge.
Urban Democrats and state-level Republicans have long been at odds. Could what’s happening in Charlotte signal a ceasefire?
Downtowns have always evolved. A look at history shows they’ll never go away.
