A new affordable housing plan in New York City has solved some problems facing lower income residents, but has also created many woes for people who purhcased shoddy homes through the plan and have been unable to get any help from the city since.
"New homeowner Ralph Munoz said the three-family home cost $532,000. Of that, $109,000 was subsidized by taxpayer dollars, lowering the price to $423,000. Then, Munoz said the extra apartments would provide rental income to help him reduce expenses and help pay the mortgage."
"'I've been fixing my house since I got there, he said."
"Munoz said the problems started shortly after he moved in. There are cracks in the foundation, a leaky roof, leaking plumbing, sewer pipes that have been cemented over and heating bills in excess of $900 each month because of poor insulation, Munoz said."
Munoz and many other new homeowners have been given the "runaround" by city housing agencies and the affordable housing developers.
FULL STORY: NYC's Affordable Housing Project Costs Homeowners
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
