The housing crisis is the eviction crisis. Philadelphia is taking action.
The city of Philadelphia released a draft report on the city's eviction crisis [pdf] in April, culminating a months-long process by the Mayor's Taskforce on Eviction Prevention and Response and seeking input from the public.
Jared Brey shares news of the report, describing the report's context as well as introducing its 17 recommendations. The number of evictions in Philadelphia has been rising since the 1970s—in 2017, "one in every 14 renters in the city faced eviction at some point during the year," writes Brey.
Liz Hersh, director of the Office of Homeless Services and co-chair of the task force, is quoted in the article describing a compelling concept: "It turns out the real barometer with the affordability crisis is eviction."
The report's recommendations respond to these realities with 17 recommendations, split into four categories: outreach and education, resources and supports, housing standards and enforcement, and legal processes and policies. Brey provides more insight into how those recommendations could work to help residents facing eviction in the source article.
FULL STORY: Philly Unveils a Plan to Deal with the Eviction Crisis
The Messy Politics of Saving Lives from Drug Overdoses
Philadelphia was on the verge of approving a key harm reduction strategy to prevent fatal drug overdoses until the city council all but banned supervised injection sites, overriding a mayoral veto. A New York Times report explores the controversy.
How Philadelphia Prevented Mass Evictions
By requiring landlords to enter mediation before filing eviction cases, the city’s eviction diversion program has successfully kept thousands of people at risk for displacement in their homes.
Philadelphia 'Diversion Program' Prevents Evictions Through Mediation
A program that provides mediation between landlords and tenants has helped a majority of applicants avoid eviction, signaling a promising avenue for renter assistance as landlords seek to recoup COVID-era losses.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association