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 survey shows that more than half of manufactured homeowners on rented land have no lease.
Hardscaped schoolyards present health risks in a warming world. A school forest initiative in California reflects a potential national trend to change the character and function of outdoor spaces.
Just four members of the public were allowed to speak on a bill that would increase penalties for inciting a riot, allows police and prosecutors to determine what constitutes a riot and escalates punishment for property damage.
Urban leaders like to complain that suburbs are a drain on their prosperity. The facts are otherwise.
Despite the Federal Communications Commission’s map of available consumer broadband at 100 percent across the state, the state’s broadband office argues that rural areas are still left out, challenging 2 million addresses.
A proposed bill would allow state and local agencies to close certain meetings to the public for various security reasons and it would allow officials to deny citizens from viewing or accessing certain records.
Jim Kenney went all in on a $400 million plan to fix neighborhood parks, rec centers and libraries. Now entering his last year in office, what is there to show for it?
City Council President Paul Krekorian believes that when it comes to establishing a redistricting commission, state lawmakers may not be aware of or understand the nuances of making good policy at the city level.
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit has had a good week. Two major financial wins will give the system millions of dollars to come and its ridership continues to rebound, with two days seeing the highest ridership rates since COVID began.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s affordable housing plan would give the state power to bypass local zoning laws, but local officials want to maintain control of what is built in their communities. The state is in historic need of more housing.
A group of bipartisan state legislators have announced support for 13 bills that would ease permitting, zoning or other regulations to increase housing availability. Some estimate Washington currently needs 150,000 new housing units.
There’s a botany boom going on in Latin America’s most exclusive neighborhoods. It should be happening in parts of the U.S., but a difference in civic and governing culture has stymied its growth.
The office recession is real, with downtowns in major cities still missing a majority of their pre-pandemic workforce. San Francisco offers a case study in terms of the consequences.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is backing a return of rent control, decades after it was banned in a state referendum. But disappointment among tenant activists raises questions about what rent control is supposed to achieve.
Restrictive codes can severely limit housing development, but a new survey of mayors finds that few take them into account in their plans to address homelessness.
The urban park was designed to connect residents and improve quality of life but has increased housing costs and pushed out low-income households. Amid a national housing crisis, the U.S. must now learn from Atlanta's experience.
Food-related businesses are especially accessible for aspiring entrepreneurs, but there aren’t nearly enough shared-use food facilities. Supporting and promoting them is an opportunity for local governments.
The city has suggested the TIF district could help deliver $115 million to South Side’s housing, streets, parks, public transit, small-business assistance and more. But TIF districts take time before they start producing revenue.
The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition kicked off its weeklong point-in-time count this week with hopes of seeing the homeless population stabilize. Hamilton County saw an 81 percent increase in homelessness between 2020 and 2021.
With a tight housing market, expired eviction moratoriums and depleted federal funds, states must figure out new plans to prevent homelessness from skyrocketing as public and private agencies struggle to help those at risk.
Over the past couple of decades, coffeehouses became centers of sociability and community life. In the wake of the virus, many of them are switching to a grab-and-go model. Can anything replace these vital “third places”?
The grant funding will be available through two programs that will support the state’s Broadband and 5G Sector Partnership, which aims to educate and train a skilled workforce for Ohio’s telecommunications industry.
In a 14-5 vote the Wisconsin capital’s City Council approved the creation of a “Transit-Oriented Development Overlay District” and includes some areas that have had, historically, predominantly single-family housing.
Susheela Nemani-Stranger will take over as the Authority’s executive director. If approved, she will be the first woman and the first person of Indian descent to lead the economic development agency.
The metro area in North Carolina faces unprecedented population growth and traffic congestion, which has triggered a study of possible commuter rail service. But the legacy of a failed light rail project casts a shadow on the plan.
The new program will pay off up to $50,000 in debt for five to 10 qualifying families this year, in an attempt to clear or reduce old debts that may inhibit a homebuyer’s ability to get a mortgage.
By undervaluing publicly owned assets, jurisdictions are missing out on enormous opportunities to help citizens and their communities. A newly launched incubator could change how public assets can be leveraged.
Historic federal investments aim to improve building efficiency standards. A new report highlights the states that could benefit the most. But updating the codes won’t be quick or easy, say experts.
Idaho employs an average of 53,000 farmers annually, but the state only has 274 homes subsidized by the federal government for farmworkers. The state is looking for ways to build more farmworker housing.
Washington, D.C., like many other cities, has seen a rise in remote work since the pandemic began. The lingering trend is prompting new conversations around how transit agencies and their services must change.
People love to be close to a lake, a river or an ocean, and waterfronts can be a major urban achievement. Why have so many cities done a poor job of cultivating this amenity?
