By adjusting rent thresholds and shrinking landlord exemptions, more than a dozen municipalities have adopted stronger versions of a state law that protects tenants from high rent increases and unreasonable evictions.
More than a dozen upstate New York municipalities are strengthening tenant protections by opting into—and improving—the state’s Good Cause Eviction Law. By lowering rent thresholds and narrowing landlord exemptions, cities like Albany and Newburgh are expanding protections against unreasonable rent hikes and unjust evictions.
This Shelterforce article examines how local organizers pushed for stronger versions of the law, how public education has become essential to enforcement, and why advocates say good cause is an important step—but not a substitute for rent stabilization. The piece highlights the growing role of municipal action in shaping tenant protections beyond New York City.
Read the full story: More Upstate Towns Opt in to—and Toughen—New York’s Good Cause Eviction Law
32 years after it was banned, could Massachusetts get rent control back?
In Massachusetts, the collection of more than 124,000 signatures makes it likely that a statewide rent control measure will be on the ballot in November.
After a Six-Year Struggle, Tenants in Boston’s Mattapan Neighborhood Win Permanent Affordability
When a new owner imposed sharp rent hikes in 2018, tenants organized and fought back. Now, more than 300 housing units will be affordable for the foreseeable future. Here’s how the tenants made it happen.
Missouri Tenants Sue Housing Owners Over Tax Credit Program
In Springfield, Missouri, organized tenants have filed a lawsuit against the past and present owners of their tax credit–financed properties, claiming that in exercising an opt-out provision they violated both state and federal requirements.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Alabama scores up to $2.5 billion federal loan for largest infrastructure project in state’s history
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project aims to ease congestion at Alabama’s worst bottleneck.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
Despite court ruling, Trump is keeping nearly all wind projects in the US on hold
At least 110 wind energy projects have not heard from the government since a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's freeze on wind turbine clearances was likely illegal.
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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