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 landmark environmental bill, CEQA, has been credited with preventing irreversible damage to natural habitats. But it’s also provided an avenue for resistant neighbors to block new housing in urban areas.
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.
As other states introduce legislation restricting educators from teaching about race, Virginia has incorporated more Black history in all history classes, making it an integral part of the American experience.
A survey has found that one out of three renters nationally want to “upsize” their apartments for business reasons or family growth. In South Florida, that has increased the demand for larger rental units.
The average ride-share trip in June cost a little more than the average trip by taxi, which is regulated by the city. That was a reversal from two years earlier when passengers paid nearly $2 more to travel by cab.
The Michigan governor has proposed using $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to build 2,000 affordable housing units across the state. The development would create housing for 6,000 residents and 1,600 jobs.
Small businesses need affordable commercial space. Federal stimulus funds offer the chance for local governments to get involved in a variety of ways — including becoming landlords themselves.
A new report found that civic engagement, such as participation in elections, number of nonprofits and library usage, is an important factor for determining community development, but this engagement is hard to measure.
The Regional Transportation District’s Accountability Committee issued a report urging the transit agency to attract riders before they establish post-pandemic routines of commuting to work by car, highlighting poor ridership as a top concern.
As Travis County, Texas, aims to reach herd immunity levels for COVID-19, local researchers express concern that many economically disadvantaged communities are about six weeks behind in vaccinations.
Washington is sending cities a gigantic fiscal gift. They have to produce results. The danger is that the money will be squandered. Republicans are watching all that generosity with skepticism.
The concept that everything should be within a short walk or bike ride keeps coming up, but making it a reality raises challenging questions.
The city’s Department of Violence Prevention will receive $17 million across the next two years in an effort to combat steeply rising rates of homicides and violent crimes. But making significant changes will take time.
Before self-driving vehicles can be safely deployed in cities, the technology must learn all of the diversities of driving and pedestrian behavior, like the technically illegal “Pittsburgh left.”
Downtowns thrive when small-scale manufacturing is prioritized, and the ownership of those businesses is diverse. Federal recovery funds can go a long way toward helping this vital sector.
The city will begin its $230,000 campaign to try and increase public transit ridership, which dropped 80 percent in March 2020 and is still 60 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
