The department's activities, or lack thereof, under the Trump administration have caused housing advocates a lot of consternation. Under Ben Carson, is HUD abandoning its fair housing mission?
Glenn Thrush gives a us rundown of the many ways Ben Carson's HUD has backed off from fair housing enforcement. Things came to a head, he writes, in March, when the secretary moved "to strike the words 'inclusive' and 'free from discrimination' from HUD's mission statement."
Carson has denied a broader shift away from a fair housing agenda. "Mr. Carson dismissed the idea he was abandoning the agency's fair housing mission as 'nonsense' in a memo to the department's staff earlier this year, and reiterated that point during recent congressional hearings."
But examples of more relaxed enforcement, or none at all, continue to accumulate. Thrush discusses several, including HUD's termination of an investigation into potentially discriminatory advertising practices by Facebook, as well as how the agency backed away from its previous stance on a Houston mixed-race housing development that advocates say the city blocked on discriminatory grounds.
"Advocates for the poor and career HUD officials say that Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, and his political appointees have begun weakening the department's fair housing division at a critical moment."
FULL STORY: Under Ben Carson, HUD Scales Back Fair Housing Enforcement
Ben Carson’s Clear Disdain for Fair and Affordable Housing
Carson has spent much of his time as HUD secretary attacking the housing programs, initiatives, and regulations central to the agency’s mission.
HUD Plans to Revive Fair Housing Rule
The department is proposing an updated version of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which requires local governments to take action to end residential segregation.
Pushing Against HUD, Fair Housing Activists Look to Procedure
With the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule on the ropes, a legal strategy has emerged to challenge HUD's plan to delay enforcement.
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.
A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.
Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Rates of Pedestrian Deaths, Study Says
The consequences of historic redlining continue to have consequences in the present day United States. Add another example to the list.
Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
Federal SMART Grants Awarded for Transportation Safety, Equity Projects
The grant program focuses on the use of technology to improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency in transportation.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.
