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.
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.
As Gov. Hochul takes over, her decisions could significantly change the allowances of local policy. Many in Staten Island are eager to see her response to topics such as congestion pricing, HOV lane extension and more.
Unlike China, American roads and transport systems have been around for too many decades. We need to fix them, not dream of gleaming new ones.
It doesn't create much new housing and distorts the housing market, providing little if any help for low-income households. It's no substitute for broad liberalization of zoning policies.
As smoke from nearby wildfires settles on top of the Sacramento region, the air quality has worsened to unhealthy levels. Some are proposing cleaner-air centers to provide some relief for the area’s homeless population.
Tyree Guyton is on a quest to resurrect a forgotten neighborhood. Over the decades his work has turned everyday waste – phones, vinyl records, TVs and more – into art. Visitors love it, but the locals have mixed feelings.
The massive infrastructure bill, if approved, could give the state $100 million for expanding its rural Internet and subsidize services, which would be significant for the nearly 20 percent of households without broadband.
While urban crashes get more attention, approximately half of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads even though only about one-fifth of the population lives in these areas. Lawmakers are considering new safety measures.
After 16 fare-free months due to the pandemic, the city’s public transportation system will once again start charging for bus fares. But many worry how this will impact homeless or vulnerable populations.
The pandemic has given frustrated solo commuters some relief, but history suggests that its effects may not last. Maybe Ebenezer Scrooge actually knew something.
Alamance and Randolph counties are nearly 5.5 percentage points behind the national average for broadband connectivity, making learning and working remotely very expensive, or impossible, for many.
The city’s program has provided housing and support to over 280 residents since 2016 and has saved the city millions in police, jail, ambulance and detox services. Now the city is looking to expand.
The city council has approved 20 locations for homeless shelters, tiny homes and sanctioned tent encampments to help serve 2,209 people at any given time. But no locations were in the city’s wealthier neighborhoods.
A local developer rescued his hometown in Ohio from decades of stagnation. Now he is taking his approach to other struggling communities around the Midwest.
The new infrastructure bill could make buses and trains faster, cleaner and more reliable. But it will take bold local policies to fill them with passengers.
Las Cruces and Santa Fe are moving forward with targeted guaranteed basic income programs and, if those pilot programs go well, lawmakers could move forward with a similar statewide program.
In a 5-5 tie, a proposal to ban urban camping as a means to manage homelessness in the city failed. Mayor Mike Coffman, who pushed the idea, said he will retry the measure in six months.
To reduce the violence Black urban farmers are growing fresh, affordable produce in the city’s food deserts. St. Louis has over 400 acres of vacant lots that could be converted into arable farmland.
The laws in Texas are vague when it comes to legally changing a name and gender marker. Cases are often up to the discretion of the judge and can take months to go through the process.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill on Monday that would replace the word ‘inmate’ with ‘incarcerated individual.’ The old term is considered derogatory and dehumanizing, within state law. It takes effect immediately.
Surveys show Americans want more walkable cities and bike riding continues to grow. Yet urban streets are still designed and used like highways. Change is happening, but at a very slow pace, says urban expert Jeff Speck.
Mayor Ben Walsh has proposed using $2 million in federal stimulus funding to plant 3,600 trees over the next three years in an effort to improve social inequalities across the city. Each tree will cost $400 to plant.
