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.
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.
With 44 percent of state residents living in a child-care desert, there aren’t enough options. Child care for two children uses 27 percent of a family’s income. The Tri-Share program aims to reduce those obstacles.
After a payment issue nearly shut off power to the Buckfield Fire Station, legislators are considering a ban on disconnecting utilities for public safety buildings without a 60-day warning first.
The bill will provide the Department of Finance and Administration $50,000 for state agencies to assess if they need language access plans so those with limited English skills can access their services.
Nashville is growing remarkably fast — and encountering serious growing pains. The next steps the city takes could mean the difference between transformation or having the infrastructure of an overgrown small town.
Omicron has hit MARTA, the region’s transit system, hard as drivers get sick or have to quarantine, which can sometimes cause last-minute trip cancellations. Passengers are suffering from the reduced service.
The California governor last year poured $12 billion into homeless housing and services and wants to invest another $1.5 billion next year. But advocates want long-term investments instead of one-time grants.
The practice has become a focus of housing reform but eliminating it might not make much difference if other regulations aren’t considered.
Deputies from the Alabama county’s sheriff’s office often fasten monitors on about 25 people weekly and many of those haven’t been convicted of anything. Some say the monitors are financially and emotionally burdensome.
Citizen volunteers rescue a stormwater project gone awry in the historic town of Frederick.
As billions for infrastructure flow from Washington, moving away from dependence on the automobile will require new cooperation between federal grantmakers and state and local recipients. Are carless cities in our future?
The state will receive millions in federal aid over the next five years to invest in its bridges, 21.2 percent of which have been deemed structurally deficient, more than 14 percent higher than the national average.
State prisons quickly adjusted policies and procedures when the coronavirus pandemic hit to ensure the health and safety of the incarcerated individuals and staff. If these pandemic changes become permanent, states could save $2.7 billion annually.
The New York City mayor has appointed his younger brother, Bernard Adams, as the head of his security detail, a step back from earlier proposals to give him a high-ranking NYPD job. Many are worried about the ethics.
Turning storefronts into online-commerce fulfillment centers or pop-up spaces for artists isn't likely to bring downtowns back. But even remote workers need places to go when they take a break from their keyboards.
Much attention has been given to the billions the bill will put toward bridges, cybersecurity and more. But behind the big-ticket items are many small projects. Here are some that will impact state and local government.
Highway construction was at its peak when the nation’s capital conceived and built one of the most comprehensive rapid transit systems in modern America. Zachary Schrag explains how and why it happened.
The pandemic caused many courthouses to pause or limit in-person sessions, forcing staff to get creative. Those struggles proved a breeding ground for innovation and turned new focus on digital equity.
When it comes to improving development and transit services, why do some urban communities fare better than others? Sociologist Jeremy Levine examined the traits for success and found some surprises.
The county Legislature recently approved plans to create a county-controlled organization to oversee and manage a $20 million, county-sponsored fiber-optic network called ErieNet.
As America moved forward from the pandemic's initial throes, transportation experts examined their role in social equity as they considered eliminating fares, expanding transit lines and starting a "mobility revolution."
We can’t move millions of people back to the center of cities. But we can make our suburbs friendlier to urban values.
Council member Edward Pollard said road construction that emphasizes cyclists can be detrimental to those driving vehicles. This week Pollard walked back his earlier statement, but only slightly.
With their economies built on mineral extraction, the sister cities envision a future together without coal. A partnership to share resources is underway, but a merger is off the table, at least for now.
Millions in Washington state still do not have reliable access to high-speed Internet, making online life nearly inaccessible. Local and tribal governments will soon be able to apply for federal grants to expand broadband services.
Once numbering over 2 million in the U.S., an estimated 100,000 remain. But they are getting hard to find. Especially ones that work.
The state’s jail population increased 60 percent from 2000 to 2019, more than five times the state’s overall population growth, resulting in overcrowding and understaffing. The fallout can be deadly.
The plan would utilize the city’s waterways to help reduce truck traffic and pollution caused by idling vehicles. The DOT estimated that between January 2020 and September 2021 truck traffic across the East River increased by 50 percent.
In 2019, 12 percent fewer Black residents owned homes than white residents and the average Black household income was $30,000 less than for white households. The city’s racial gap has worsened over the last 30 years.
Some of their concerns, such as housing costs and homelessness, track with those of their constituents. But elected leaders should pay more attention to crime, inflation and other issues increasingly on the minds of residents.
The 2021 Clean Energy Scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks progress in 100 major U.S. cities, and the findings show there’s plenty of room for improvement.
