With the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule on the ropes, a legal strategy has emerged to challenge HUD's plan to delay enforcement.
Fair housing advocates received bad news earlier this month when HUD announced that it would suspend enforcement of the Obama administration's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule. But as Kriston Capps writes, HUD's detractors aren't out of legal options. "This isn't the first time that Carson has tried to postpone an Obama-era housing rule: A similar maneuver was struck down in federal court in December. Housing advocates are now hoping HUD's move on the AFFH final rule will meet a similar fate."
The strategy centers on legal procedure, specifically around HUD's possible violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. Capps writes, "After HUD released a memo back in August pushing a different Obama-era housing rule out to fiscal year 2020, plaintiffs successfully argued that the maneuver violated the APA."
That other rule concerned HUD's allocation of Section 8 housing vouchers. By using "small area fair market rates, or SAFMRs, for calculating rents in individual ZIP codes rather than averaging rents across metro areas," the rule allowed families using vouchers to move to better neighborhoods, previously unaffordable on the program.
FULL STORY: One Way to Fight HUD's Heel-Dragging on Fair Housing
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
New York Congestion Pricing Approved by MTA Board
The program took another step forward as the board approved a proposed pricing scheme, but lawsuits still stand in the way of full implementation.
Video: Making Transit Better
How trackless trams and other innovations can make U.S. transit more efficient.
LA-to-San Francisco Night Train Closer to Reality
A train operator has entered into formal negotiations with Union Pacific to move the project forward with a projected launch date of 2025.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.