Carson has spent much of his time as HUD secretary attacking the housing programs, initiatives, and regulations central to the agency’s mission.
Jeff Andrews looks at Ben Carson’s extensive track record as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he has actively worked to decimate the budgets of housing-assistance programs and eliminate protections for public housing residents.
"But Carson’s splashiest legacy may be the one Trump is currently trying to get the most ideological mileage out of: Carson’s assault on the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. It seems that Trump wants suburban voters to believe that AFFH is a threat to their treasured white-picket-fence lifestyle," says Andrews.
Carson in the past has supported the elimination of single-family zoning to encourage the development of affordable housing. But he has changed his stance, as reflected in a recent joint op-ed with President Trump in the The Wall Street Journal about protecting America’s suburbs and his subsequent rescinding of the AFFH rule.
Andrews points out that fortunately few of Carson’s initiatives have come to fruition. "Assuming Carson follows through with his pledge to leave the administration after Trump’s first term, the AFFH debacle will be the final battle in Carson’s assault on the fair-housing legacy of the nation’s first Black president. In response to the dustup around AFFH, Carson tweeted that he is 'unwavering in my commitment to fair housing.'"
FULL STORY: How Ben Carson Tried to Destroy Fair And Affordable Housing
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The department's activities, or lack thereof, under the Trump administration have caused housing advocates a lot of consternation. Under Ben Carson, is HUD abandoning its fair housing mission?
Pushing Against HUD, Fair Housing Activists Look to Procedure
With the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule on the ropes, a legal strategy has emerged to challenge HUD's plan to delay enforcement.
The Hypocrisies and Troubles of Local Control
President Trump has opinions about the sanctity of local control that don't agree with his other opinions about local control. This is a cautionary tale.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
Proposed Transit Line Would Connect Downtown Tucson to Airport
Based on community input for a 15-mile transit line, residents want to see a focus on affordable housing development and anti-displacement measures.
Strip Malls as a Housing Solution
The American strip mall may be a dying breed of commercial development, but could the buildings serve a new use as sustainable housing?
Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’
A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
Ada County Highway District
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
