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 Montana Legislature passed housing policies that have eluded other jurisdictions, including increasing height limits, reducing parking requirements and permitting single-stair apartment buildings.
The state is undecided about where it will get its renewable energy: Some want solar panels atop homes and businesses, others want large solar plants away from residents, everyone is concerned about increasing costs.
As New York’s third-largest city finds its industrial giants continuing to downsize, a unique, no-interest loan program based on crowdfunding is stimulating a business revival at the grass-roots level.
Lawyers claim that the app, TIKD, that allows consumers to pay for traffic citations is “unlicensed practice of law,” but the TIKD company defends that it “is not, and has never claimed to be, an attorney.”
The Kansas city is the first to implement full-sized, zero-emission electric buses into its fleet. Riders are surprised by their silence, and the mayor is pleased that they’re “kind to our budget and also kind to our planet.”
Six local governments will limit the use of natural gas in buildings and encourage the use of electric appliances, in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But many are concerned that it will just increase costs.
The region has a $75 billion tourism industry, yet some workers can’t get to their jobs on time because city buses take up to three hours to travel 15 miles and the rail system only works on weekday rush hours.
Democrats rely heavily on urban voters for support, but the states that hold the first caucuses and primaries don't have really big cities. That tends to leave them off the campaign agenda.
A solar-generating facility that will be located in San Bernardino County has been approved for development. Residents are complaining that the 3,500-acre plant will ruin agricultural land, air quality and scenic views.
El Paso, Texas, officials were considering purchasing El Paso Electric, but a divided discussion gave them pause. It would cost millions of dollars and years to complete, also is it even legal to acquire the utility’s assets?
Columbus, Ohio, is hoping that residents will connect their cars with technology that allows their vehicle to interact with other cars and traffic signals. All 1,300 “connected” cars would receive up to $300 in gift cards.
Ohio residents were unhappily surprised when 5G cellphone towers began popping up in their neighborhoods: “You want this stuff; you just don’t want it on your street.” But as phone companies move to 5G, cities might not have a choice.
A bill reintroduced to improve access to higher education technology for students with disabilities could create “some exciting opportunities to really open the doors of higher education” and life beyond college.
Officials with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission are finalizing a proposal for Virgin’s Hyperloop One to build high-speed transit to other metro areas, a plan that could help create a “mega-region.”
Four regional groups have supported the construction of a $10 billion high-speed magnetic levitation train to Washington, D.C. Officials hope it will offer “opportunity to change the county and Northeast Corridor in a fundamental way.”
Three of Spokane’s city council members voted against the slow-moving, self-driving bus, Olli, on Monday, which halted the pilot program’s progress. Now, the fate of the two shuttles is uncertain.
Telemedicine has been growing in Indiana since 2015, but there are still gaps in the coverage. For many rural patients, “inadequate Internet speeds or unreliable services can be a major barrier” to adequate care.
Companies like Facebook and Google have ushered in change — much of it positive — for individuals, communities and governments. But we still have a responsibility to ask whether they're serving the public interest.
Funding for public colleges peaked in 2000 at $9,443 per student. In 2018, funding was $4,552 per student, placing Pennsylvania among the bottom of states for percentage of tax revenues allocated to higher education.
Colorado and California are already using technology that converts renewable energy into storable gas, and Maine hopes to be next. The technology could save Maine 75,000 megawatt hours of renewable power each year.
Denver, Colo., has a complicated transit system troubled by the national decline in public ridership. But officials are hopeful that they will find a new GM: “I think there are some excellent people out there.”
A study found that 9 percent of Ohio residents don’t have access to broadband, which could be an expensive problem for census takers, considering that the 2020 Census will be mostly digital.
The Southern California startup FLOAT (Fly Over All Traffic) will begin flying passengers in January 2020. Flights will cost $60 a day and are targeted at super commuters who travel more than 90 minutes each way.
The Louisiana Department of Health has partnered with vendor MAXIMUS to streamline Medicaid enrollment, creating the Healthy Louisiana app. Eligible residents can use the app to compare health-care plans and find doctors.
PG&E is under severe criticism about its power outages and wildfire-sparking equipment. The utility is now testing a proactive technology that would “identify potential equipment failures” and avoid starting fires.
Legislation legalizing scooters in the state is simply waiting for a signature from Gov. Cuomo, who is hesitating as the small vehicles have raised concerns with sidewalk and road safety across the country.
University of Michigan faculty are pushing back with concerns about the center’s funding, location and the “conflicts created by capitalism’s dependency on racial and economic oppression and inequity.”
The first autonomous freight vehicle will drive alone but guided by a behind-the-wheel driver, just in case. The self-driving semi could revolutionize trucking, alleviating the deficit of drivers.
North Carolina officials are hoping that Pokket will help prisoners set up appointments, download documents and communicate clearly with probation officers. There’s one problem: Prisoners must have a phone or tablet before and after release.
As an increasing number of cities nationwide work to foster equitable outcomes for residents, Albuquerque has created a new case study for how data can be used in various ways to lift populations up.
Constructing buildings out of wood is the latest in San Francisco’s aim to be eco-friendly, fire-resistant and aesthetically pleasing. The 60-foot-high building is projected to open in 2022.
