Public housing doesn't suffer the derision that it used to, but housing agencies remain strapped. Critics and residents contend that the New York City Housing Authority, the largest landlord of them all, continues to let down the city's neediest.
Public housing is not expected to be luxurious, but it is supposed to be functional. Tell that to countless tenants of the New York City Housing Authority. Housing 400,000 residents, NYCHA is coping with aging buildings that present an overwhelming number of maintenance problems. Its backlog of repair requests once topped 300,000.
In recent years, the agency has been on a campaign to become more efficient and effective. Agency officials say that responses times are down and that it has made a significant dent in its backlog. And yet, anecdotes persist about busted pipes, rotting walls, leaky sinks, mold, and much more. Residents talk about repair tickets that the agency issued but never followed up on.
"Residents, housing attorneys, and community advocates say that across New York City’s public housing developments, they’ve continued to fight for months, even years, to get the agency to fix falling paint, moldy walls, and water leaks."
FULL STORY: The Many Failures of the New York City Housing Authority
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Editorial: Drastic Changes Needed to Solve New York's Public Housing Crisis
Even if the money for repairing New York City's public housing were to materialize, it would be money poorly spent, according to this editorial.
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
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Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
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Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
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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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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