Anchorage officials have started to take a more assertive effort toward the clean up of nuisance buildings and properties that have become magnets for crime and other problems. This is the first clean-up of this scope since 2007.
"With a court order in hand, city contractors in yellow vests drove excavators around a rotting cabin on a dead-end road in South Anchorage this week, scooping up huge piles of junk.
It was the kind of cleanup that hadn't happened in years. Since taking office in 2015, the administration of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and the Anchorage Assembly have been exercising legal and financial methods to get the owners of abandoned and blighted properties to secure, clean up and fix what they own. Officials say the properties attract crime and drive down the value of neighboring homes.
The effort has so far included court orders, a new pool of cleanup funds and the boarding-up of buildings that have become magnets for crime and other problems. City attorneys are exploring different aspects of the foreclosure process as a way to apply pressure and also repay city expenses.
Recently, the city came up with a "priority list" of the 10 properties that officials regard as some of Anchorage's worst nuisances."
FULL STORY: Anchorage officials wield court orders, cleanup fund in broad crackdown on nuisance properties
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.