Civil Rights

Black woman speaking at podium with presentation screen in background.

Climate Justice Advocate Named One of TIME's Women of the Year

Jacqueline Patterson has dedicated her career to intersectional approaches to systems change and social and environmental justice.

March 4, 2024 - Time Magazine

Bronze statue of Rosa Parks sitting on bus bench in center of plaza by Dallas transit station.

Philadelphia Transit Officials Honor Civil Rights Activists

A ceremony held Monday celebrated people who contributed to the desegregation of public transit.

February 6, 2024 - CBS Philadelphia

Close-up of sign on chain link fence "City of Flint Water Plant" with hours.

EPA Drops More Civil Rights Investigations

A lawsuit that halted an investigation in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ is having a chilling impact on other environmental justice cases.

February 2, 2024 - Word In Black

A sign announcing the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility in Jackson, Mississippi

Mississippi Investigated for Civil Rights Violations in Jackson Water Crisis

The NAACP has accused a pair of Mississippi departments of discrimination against Black Mississippians, leading to the loss of drinking water in the state's capital city at the end of the summer.

October 25, 2022 - Mississippi Free Press

Back to School September 2020

Biden Administration Targets Five States that Ban School Mask Mandates

President Biden asked his education secretary to see what could be done about states that prohibit school districts from enacting CDC public health recommendations. Miguel Cardona responded by empowering his Office of Civil Rights to investigate.

September 7, 2021 - The New York Times

Trump Administration

Trump Takes a Final Swipe at the Civil Rights Act

The Department of Justice has proposed a change to the interpretation of disparate impact in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and many anti-discrimination laws that followed.

January 7, 2021 - The Washington Post

Old Town Alexandra

Civil Rights and Historic Preservation: A Case Study from Northern Virginia

The civil rights debates of the 1960s and 1970s influence city planning in Alexandria, Virginia to this day.

December 23, 2020 - ALX Now

Civil Rights

John Lewis: Leading by Example

When a great political leader dies, the usual stories told about him or her focus on accomplishments that moved the nation. I’ve been touched by the extent of memories about John Lewis that are coming from constituents, neighbors, and strangers.

July 29, 2020 - Bruce Stiftel

Black Lives Matter Protest

COVID-19: What About Those Protests?

While not conclusive, evidence suggests that relatively few transmissions of the coronavirus occurred during the widespread protests that followed the death of George Floyd due to the outdoor settings, being in motion and wearing of masks.

July 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

Security Camera

Once a Surveillance Secret, Palantir Manual Becomes Public

The secret manual for the use of facial recognition and data collection software company Palantir was made public thanks to a FOIA request. It includes instructions on how to find a complete account of a person's movements.

July 17, 2019 - Motherboard

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Eastern State Penitentiary: A Class about the Past Speaks to the Present and the Future

Built as an embodiment of the ideals of prison reformers, the Eastern State Penitentiary had running water and central heating before the White House, and housed the first synagogue built in an American prison.

June 13, 2019 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Planning Commission in World's Fair office, 1958

Seattle Exhibit Grapples With Redlining Past and Present

A creative exhibit highlights how redlining and racist exclusion persist today.

March 26, 2019 - Curbed Seattle

Campaign Rally

Sources: Trump Administration Considering an Attack on Disparate Impact

The Supreme Court upheld the disparate impact doctrine at the heart of fair housing rules, along with many other anti-discrimination policies, in 2015. Still, the Trump administration is looking for ways to undermine disparate impact.

January 9, 2019 - The Washington Post

HUD

Under Ben Carson, HUD Abdicates Fair Housing Responsibilities

Civil rights advocates are claiming that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is no longer in the business of enforcing fair housing laws.

December 28, 2018 - The Washington Post

26-Year-Old Civil Rights Complaint Finally Ends

The legal controversy over the Genesee Power Plant in Flint, Michigan has finally ended, with a court forcing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better investigate and resolve complaints of environmental discrimination.

June 19, 2018 - Pacific Standard

Security cameras on a building

Cities and Surveillance

For six years, New Orleans police have been using a secret program that uses social media to locate violent criminals.

March 7, 2018 - CityLab

Multi-Family Building

Fair Housing Act May Cover Renters with Criminal Records

The largest private landlord in the U.S. faces a discrimination suit for refusing to rent to people with criminal records.

January 4, 2018 - Center for Investigative Reporting

Bus Stop

'Free to Ride' Explores the Disparate Impact of Transit Planning

A new feature-length documentary film raises the question of whether public transportation is a civil rights issue.

February 16, 2017 - Mass Transit

Governor Larry Hogan

Maryland Transportation Planning Decisions Under Civil Rights Scrutiny

The infamous cancellation of the Red Line, a decision made by Gov. Larry Hogan shortly after he took office, is a high-profile example of how the state's transportation decisions are short-changing people of color.

February 5, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Wynton Marsalis

Friday Fun: Wynton Marsalis on the 'Mythic Significance' of Trains

Famed musician Wynton Marsalis recently spoke with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about the connections between music and transportation.

October 14, 2016 - Facebook Video

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.