A proposal for a regional entity to oversee homeless services in King County is running into jurisdictional conflicts.
Doug Trumm reports that the King County Council in Washington approved a proposal for a regional authority to coordinate homeless services, but changes to the plan could drive a wedge between Seattle and the surrounding suburbs.
"Under the plan, suburban cities would contribute nothing in the way of funding. However, thanks to a voting majority on the governing body, they would have power to control decisions, such as insisting on a high-barrier service model that doesn’t have a good track record exiting people out of homelessness," says Trumm.
Funding also remains an issue, with King County spending about $200 million a year, half of projected needs. "If the suburban members try to spend Seattle’s money against the wishes of the Seattle City Council, this could be one of the shortest lived regional authorities in history. It’s a strange way to begin. A money imbalance paired with a power imbalance in the opposite direction puts the authority on the diciest of footings," notes Trumm.
FULL STORY: Dream of Regional Homelessness Authority Crashing Into Reality of Tight-Fisted Suburbs
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.