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 largest affordability gaps are in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts and Montana, where middle-income households can afford fewer than 12 percent of houses on the market. By contrast, they could afford about half the houses for sale in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and West Virginia.
Many small businesses rely on social media to develop their community of customers and a five-hour outage across Facebook’s sites can be detrimental. It is unclear what caused the global outage on Monday.
The city has launched Vision Zero Action Plan, a yearlong, $110,000 effort to collect and disseminate data on crashes, lower speed limits and redesign streets to calm traffic. Last year, 74 people died from car crashes.
Residents of Sun Belt metros rate quality of life higher than residents of other fast-growing regions. But common concerns suggest that local leaders should pay more attention to the basics of governance.
The 2020 Census places the state near dead last in the country for population growth, but Michigan added 201,218 new immigrants in the last decade, helping it to eke out a net increase of 193,691 people since 2010.
The Wisconsin People’s Maps Commission proposed three versions of Assembly, Senate and congressional maps as alternatives to the Republican-authored ones. Republicans would likely still maintain a legislative majority.
In addition to increasing the minimum age for police officers from 18 to 21, the new law will also work to establish a college education requirement, involving courses in psychology, ethnic studies, law and others.
A new law allows single-family homes to be transformed into a property with up to four homes, which could result in much denser neighborhoods. Many San Diego residents worry this will drastically change suburbs.
The proposal could draw up to 200 high-wage remote workers to the area over the next two years by offering $10,000 in moving allowances. The program is based on one that Tusla and other cities have enacted.
A survey of transit riders illustrates some of their concerns around the cleanliness of vehicles, on-time performance and the technology that seeks to improve engagement and the overall experience.
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.
