The city’s new $6.5 million "bridge shelters" are providing a place to stay, but not accomplishing what they set out to do.
In the aftermath of the Hepatitis A outbreak last year, San Diego established three "bridge shelters," which originally were supposed to be a place for people who already had been given a housing subsidy but had not yet been matched with a permanent place to live.
But while hundreds of people have gone in, or gone in and come out and gone in again, only a fraction have been moved into homes or apartments.
"Critics," writes John Wilkins of the Union-Tribune, "say the poor performance is a reflection of a dysfunctional system that overemphasizes emergency shelters and hasn’t figured out how to align the community’s resources with the longer-term needs of the homeless."
San Diego has the fourth-largest homeless population in the nation, in part because it suffers from the same affordability crisis as other big cities in California (and elsewhere). Downtown San Diego doubled its number of housing units between 2010 and 2015, but saw rents double as well.
FULL STORY: City's shelters falling short of goals in finding permanent housing for the homeless
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The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
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In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living
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Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.
California Moves to Limit Autonomous Trucks
A bill passed by the State Assembly and moving on to the Senate would require autonomous semi trucks to have a trained human operator in the vehicle.
Minnesota Budget Includes Significant Transit Investments
After a contentious debate, the state legislature passed a budget that changes how transportation projects are funded and supports increased transit service in the state.
Proposed Land Value Tax Plan in Detroit
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan proposes hiking property taxes for vacant land and buildings while lowering the rate for occupied homes and businesses in a split tax plan he contends will resolve many of Detroit's blight and high property tax woes.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
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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.
