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.
They help a lot of individuals and their communities. The proposed cuts would just shift the burden to emergency rooms, shelters and already overwhelmed local systems.
NJ Transit and state and local officials unveiled an experimental bus stop in Cherry Hill that has high-intensity LED lighting and a two-port USB charging outlet that is solar-powered. The station cost $11,900.
Edward Glaeser got a lot of attention with his argument that cities succeed in a deregulated environment. His new book embraces a broader role for government.
But improving healthy and affordable food access goes beyond what’s in the name.
The city has proposed bills that would require landlords to notify tenants of rent increases 180 days in advance and provide relocation assistance for low-income renters. Some worry this could devastate small landlords.
Five cities are leading the way with programs to nurture these homegrown entrepreneurs and fill storefronts emptied by the pandemic.
The city will visit 20,000 households that experienced backups and flooding in June to provide temporary fixes while the water department develops a plan to rebuild aged infrastructure.
Mayor Libby Schaaf promised to house 1,500 homeless residents and build permanent affordable housing as well. The city will receive $11.3 million in federal funds for the development.
Demand for homeless services is increasing. Scores of communities are finding that when providers work in teams and use better data and systems, they can solve the problem person by person.
For many parishes in the Acadiana region, getting adequate Internet speeds is a challenge that has impacted business and residential growth. In some parishes, 1 in 3 homes do not have any broadband access.
The Ohio transit authority, known as RTA, has had to temporarily eliminate some service due to a bus driver shortage. But many of the routes being cut are essential for seniors and riders with disabilities.
One proposal suggests installing a high-voltage AC transmission lines facility near the Bronx Terminal Market, but studies suggest these high-voltage currents could cause greater incidences of childhood leukemia.
The Green Mountain State, with its natural beauty, small towns and traditional lifestyle, sometimes seems too good to be true. In some ways, it is.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has called for oversight of the department after an investigation following the death of Elijah McClain found patterns of racial bias, excessive force and other misconduct.
The second half of the program will continue replacing 4,300 streetlights with smart LED lights and installing Wi-Fi hot spots across the city. The smart LED lights can also be used to count traffic and detect gunshots.
Cities are clashing with state transportation departments on road redesign. In an era of changing preferences, tensions are rising. Maybe it’s time to restore local control.
Republican state lawmakers haven’t responded to voter rights groups’ complaints about the secrecy as they redraw legislative and congressional district boundaries. Some wonder: Why the silence if everything is legal?
A new report outlines the economic toll brought on by the pandemic in our largest cities, showing how pre-existing inequities became worse for lower-paid workers, while leaving white-collar workers largely unscathed.
Some residents argue that the urban areas should remain separate from the suburban and rural areas as they represent different lifestyles. Others argue the continued separation of urban areas perpetuates gerrymandering.
In one town, police say products like Nextdoor and Ring are helping fight crime. But racism and vigilantism are pervasive on safety platforms.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, libraries were forced to adapt their services to adhere to the safety restrictions. For many, public libraries provided community services far beyond just checking out books.
City council members narrowly voted to approve small policy shifts that promote affordable housing over commercial development. While there are some currently underway, no new affordable housing projects have been completed since 2014.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has been using a software since Jan. 2020 that removes names, location and race from police reports in an attempt to implement “race-blind” charging.
Houses of worship own billions worth of empty, deteriorating or underused real estate. Some local governments and denominations are moving to carve it into badly needed housing, but there are plenty of obstacles.
Democratic state lawmakers want to broaden immigrant legal protections by closing exemptions under the sanctuary law, but police unions are ramping up efforts to block the legislation.
A “light density” proposal that would loosen zoning laws to allow duplexes and lot splitting in residential neighborhoods across the state is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Many suburban homeowner groups oppose the bill.
Georgia’s capital city continues to be deeply divided when it comes to policing: some want to defund the department, while others want more officers. But police culture reform without defunding might be the best solution.
We’re used to blaming the Army Corps of Engineers for monolithic, expensive reclamation projects that go bad. Here’s something they did right, and at a very low cost.
Even accounting for factors lenders said would explain disparities, people of color are denied mortgages at significantly higher rates than white people.
As a part of reshaping the duties of the police department, city and Capital Metro officials are considering a new police force entirely devoted to regional public transit. Many details of the proposed security team are still undecided.
The state housing agency has cited two major sports arenas for cutting backroom deals with developers that shortchanged the public on affordable units. The agency is now investigating a third.
