Across the country, federal funding is unable to keep up with repair costs, forcing some municipalities to cut units from their programs.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says between $22 and 32 billion is needed by the country's public housing authority to rehabilitate existing buildings. In New York, for example, there is a three-year backlog on repairs. Additionally, thousands of units have been lost altogether, according to Cara Buckley: 150,000 units were removed from federal programs in the last 15 years and 5,700 are currently pending removal.
In response, HUD has proposed legislation to allow city housing authorities to borrow public and private funds to finance repairs. The solution is contentious, writes Buckley:
"The bill, yet to be formally introduced in Congress, stirred mixed reactions among housing authorities and advocates, many of whom feared the prospect of public housing falling into private hands."
FULL STORY: Public Housing Repairs Can’t Keep Pace With Demand
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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.
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie