Landlords and the NAACP agree on the need for property tax reform in New York City, but it took a lawsuit to get the city moving on reform, and the state is still dragging its feet.

J. David Goodman reports on a lawsuit in New York City intended to reform a property taxes that almost everyone hates—so much so that the lawsuit has attracted "a broad and unexpected coalition of plaintiffs that included city landlords, urban planners, budget hawks and even the N.A.A.C.P., which had for years complained of racial inequities in the property tax system."
The lawsuit, filed in 2017, inspired Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council to create a commission that eventually proposed "the first real changes to the property tax system in nearly three decades," according to Goodman, who explains the proposed recommendations in more detail:
The commission recommended that the city assess most homes, including co-ops and condominiums, at full market value, and remove a cap on how much the value of a property can increase each year. Under that plan, many property owners can expect to pay less in taxes, but hundreds of thousands of homeowners may pay more.
The changes would require approval at both the state and city levels, so political fallout would be expected if the recommendations were to proceed to legislative action. As documented by Goodman, however, the recommendations have so far failed to inspire an activity toward legislative ends at the state level.
FULL STORY: A New York Issue That Unites Landlords and the N.A.A.C.P.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service