The Trump administration says the city’s housing policies and support of ‘cultural districts’ are racially discriminatory, while city leaders call the investigation politically motivated.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity will investigate the city of Minneapolis for alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act, reports Julie Strupp in Multifamily Dive.
According to the FHEO, the city “may be engaging in unlawful discrimination by prioritizing Minneapolis residents for housing based on race and national origin rather than need.”
In a letter, the FHEO cites as an example the fact that Minneapolis’ “Community Planning and Economic Development department will prioritize ‘rental housing for Black, Indigenous, People of Color and Immigrant communities’ by ‘leveraging [its] rental licensing authority.’” The letter also calls the city’s support of cultural districts as racially discriminatory.
According to a city spokesperson, “This investigation appears to be about politics, not affordable housing.” HUD launched a similar investigation into the city of Boston in December of last year.
Read the full story: HUD launches fair housing investigation into Minneapolis
HUD Plans to Revive Fair Housing Rule
The department is proposing an updated version of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which requires local governments to take action to end residential segregation.
16 States Sue HUD Over New Limits to Fair Housing Act
The lawsuit charges the agency with reversing decades of fair housing regulations and weakening its own enforcement capacity.
HUD Plans to Kill Key Fair Housing Rule
The department issued a proposal to eliminate the disparate impact rule, a cornerstone of some discrimination rulings under the Fair Housing Act.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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One Hundred Miles
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