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.
The “No Buddy Left Behind” program employs veterans to find and then help house homeless veterans.
As broadband expansion efforts increase nationwide, digital equity advocates are working to ensure that urban communities are included. New federal funding opportunities are adding fuel to these efforts.
We focus on people leaving cities, but we tend to ignore where they came from and what they take with them.
With its recent $105 million purchase of the State of Illinois Center in downtown Chicago, the tech giant reimagines the future for an unappreciated government complex.
Abandoned vehicles have long been a problem in Oakland. The city has increased resources and manpower to address not just cars but the illegal activity they encourage.
Ensuring that billions of dollars of federal funding for broadband service are well spent – and that consumers get what they pay for – comes down to knowing the actual speeds internet users experience.
Two rulings, one in Wisconsin and the other in Texas, this summer have provided big legal victories to voters with disabilities, which advocates hope can set legal precedents for other states to help navigate new restrictive voting laws.
New York City has data showing substantial reductions in serious injuries and fatalities resulting from road diets, pedestrian islands and sidewalk extensions. Advocates say it's a rare kind of accountability for roadway designers.
The Iowa county’s ARPA committee has said the money would be allotted for bike trail repairs, an environmental education center project and Mariposa Park campgrounds. The final decision will fall to the Board of Supervisors.
Efforts to improve the city’s streets for bikers and pedestrians are being held up by the Texas Department of Transportation, which has reasserted its ownership of state roads and is focused on prioritizing traffic flow for drivers.
They have a long history, and they have been our "public living room." Some cities and towns that have lost their central gathering places are trying to re-create them.
With the help of city school kids, an organization is restoring long-depleted oyster beds that once flourished in the waters that surround New York City. The bivalves are cleaning the water and protecting shorelines.
Rules that mandate excess parking in new development projects have added to the overlapping crises of housing affordability, urban sprawl and climate change, advocates say. California could soon bar cities from imposing them.
It deals with very different urban issues than the West. Its population is exploding, with all 20 of the world’s fastest-growing cities based in Africa or Asia. I’m taking a long trip through the region to find out more.
The Washington county’s population dropped 4.9 percent between 2010 and 2020 and officials attribute the loss, at least partially, to the geography and the shrinking gold mining industry which the county once relied upon.
COVID led to historic high enrollments. But as the emergency comes to an end, millions are expected to lose their insurance, including people who meet the requirements for Medicaid but get lost in its labyrinthine bureaucracy.
A monthlong shutdown of the Orange Line in Boston has riders scrambling for other transportation options. And many are choosing Bluebikes.
A startup has created smart labels for household products that collect data about the item’s use and enables automatic reordering. About 60 percent of Internet of Things devices were consumer devices in 2020.
San Francisco has a brand-new park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. Its history is rooted in an attempt to make road traffic safer.
Since COVID, deaths and injuries of cyclists and pedestrians are at their highest in four decades. Meanwhile, motorists complain downtown driving has worsened with fewer car lanes available.
It seems logical that we would be rushing to turn vacant office buildings into apartments and condos. So far it’s not happening on a large scale, but there are reasons to think it’s in our urban future.
The biggest federal climate, clean energy and environmental justice commitment in history is an unprecedented opportunity. The ideas contained in cities’ and companies’ environmental disclosures are a treasure trove to guide policymakers.
Gov. Gavin Newsom stopped a bill that would have allowed pilot programs across the state to establish sites for supervised drug use. Now advocates are looking for ways around the veto.
The North Carolina city was the first in the state to implement protections against income discrimination. The policy will only apply to housing that received city subsidies. Charlotte severely lacks affordable housing.
Washington state officials want voters to have full faith and confidence in the system, as claims of voter fraud and stolen elections continue to lack evidence. Many believe it’s time for Republicans to change their narrative.
The state Senate approved a bill that would seal the records of some previously incarcerated individuals if they maintain a clean record to help them better reintegrate into society. The bill will next move to Gov. Newsom for consideration.
On-demand public transit is becoming increasingly popular across the United States, particularly in small cities, suburbs and rural areas. But critics say it’s a bad deal because it’s costly and inefficient.
A prominent figure in New Orleans’ controversial broadband plan has resigned from his position as director of the Mayor’s Office of Utilities. According to an automated email response his last day was Friday, Aug. 12.
Manufactured homes, which are less expensive and faster to construct because they’re built on an assembly line, could help resolve the nation’s housing crisis. America is short 3.8 million housing units by some estimates.
As climate change brings longer periods of hot weather, the associated heat-related health risks also increase. While being in air conditioning is the simplest way to prevent heat illness and death, access to cool air isn't equitable.
Though roughly two dozen cities have appointed food policy directors at the local level, an estimated 53.6 million people still live outside an easy walk or drive to a full-service supermarket.
