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.
Median home values have risen 60 percent since 2012, yet the city has 20,000 fewer housing units than before the storm, with nearly 29,000 still vacant.
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.
Duluth Transit Authority has proposed reducing the number of bus routes by half and creating two high-frequency routes that will have buses running every 10-15 minutes throughout the day.
An estimated 25 percent of Oklahoma students don’t have high-speed Internet access at home, severely impacting children’s learning opportunities. Many households don’t even have reliable cell service.
Florida has one of nation’s most stringent building codes, and county rules require owners of older buildings to submit reports from licensed engineers or architects certifying a building’s safety after 40 years.
A federal judge has ruled that the state’s Department of Transportation must approve two public right-of-way permits to a Santa Fe company trying to establish broadband services in underserved communities.
State and local bans have been of some help in keeping renters in their homes, but the federal moratorium hasn't had much impact. Targeted cash relief and an abundant housing market are the best tenant protections.
The Big Easy isn’t the only city using chatbots to bridge equity gaps and provide more residents with the answers they seek on a 24/7 basis. Smarter chatbots are finding their places in public service.
The city has officially come out against the $10 billion proposed high-speed Maglev train to Washington, citing negative equity and environmental impacts. The trip between the two cities would cost riders $60 and take 15 minutes.
Road reformers want to demolish aging center-city freeways to make up for old racial harms. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it may be an effective argument.
