The New York City Housing Authority has come under fire because thousands of affordable rental units are sitting vacant, some for years at a time.
"'We're in the midst of a massive recession, and it just seems unbelievable to me that we are sitting on thousands of affordable housing units that people can't use,' said Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president. 'I believe this is a total and complete crisis in the Housing Authority. The inability to rehabilitate and get affordable apartments to people on the waiting list flies in the face of what public housing is about.'"
"Lynn Godfrey, an agency spokeswoman, said the authority had reduced the number of vacant units in recent years. In November 2007, there were 6,545 vacant units off the rent rolls, and in November 2009, there were 3,298. Of those nearly 3,300 apartments, a large number - 1,790 - are undergoing and awaiting renovations, Ms. Godfrey said, while 438 are being used as office space for tenant associations, police officers and health services."
FULL STORY: Impatience Grows Over Vacancy Rate in Public Housing

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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