Wealthy communities are incorporating their own cities, draining tax revenue and resources away from surrounding neighborhoods.

In a piece for Bloomberg CityLab, Luisa Godinez-Puig and Brian D. Smedley outline the results of their research on the secession of often wealthy, white communities from larger municipalities, such as the secession of the new city of St. George from East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana last month. “What we’ve found is that these secessions perpetuate modern-day segregation and limit opportunity for left-behind communities, a form of opportunity hoarding that we call ‘white fortressing.’”
According to the authors, ‘opportunity hoarding’ concentrates public resources in already advantaged areas and limits access to opportunities for other residents. “In Louisiana, it is estimated that St. George’s secession would take away $48.3 million in annual tax revenue from East Baton Rouge Parish — nearly 8% of the parish’s total tax revenue.”
Research also shows that having more governments in a certain geographic area has negative health impacts on Black, but not white, Americans. Meanwhile, “In both Louisiana and Georgia, only citizens inside the boundary of the proposed new city get to vote by referendum, even if the incorporation would decimate the tax revenue for the surrounding community.”
FULL STORY: The New ‘White Fortress’ Cities of the American South

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.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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 Moorpark
City of Tustin
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