A bond referendum on the November ballot would help Austin increase its supply of affordable housing.

Jared Brey reports on a November bond vote that would dedicate $250 million to affordable housing in Austin. Proposition A is the affordable housing piece of a larger $925 million bond package. Brey says initial plans by the Bond Election Advisory Task Force looked to put $85 million toward affordable housing, but over time a more ambitious plan emerged to tackle the increasing lack of affordable housing in the city.
"If approved, most of the money would be split between land acquisition for future affordable housing development and a rental assistance program, with $28 million each for affordable homeownership and home repair programs," says Brey. The city wants to build 135,000 affordable housing units over the next decade, as outlined in its Strategic Housing Blueprint.
A separate task force is working to address racial segregation and displacement in the city. Mayor Steve Adler has said that $100 million of the housing bond would go toward acquiring land for affordable housing projects in parts of the city facing the threat of gentrification.
FULL STORY: Thinking Bigger in Order to ‘Keep Austin Affordable’

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

Savannah Reduces Speed Limits on Almost 100 City Streets
The historic Georgia city is lowering speed limits in an effort to reduce road fatalities.

A Park Reborn: Resilience and Renewal in Fire-Stricken Altadena
Rebuilt in just two months after the devastating Eaton Fire, Loma Alta Park now stands as a symbol of community resilience and renewal, even as some residents hope recovery efforts will continue to support housing stability and long-term equity.

Spain Moves to Ban 66,000 Airbnbs
The national government is requiring the short-term rental operator to remove thousands of illegal listings from its site as part of an effort to stem a growing housing crisis.
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.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions