A neighborhood group in Baltimore fights out-of-town developers for city contracts to rehab houses, arguing that it does a better job of meeting the community's needs.
T.E.A.M., a neighborhood group which includes a local black market consortium of unlicenced drug dealers-turned-tradesmen, gut and refurbish Baltimore's abandoned rowhouses for under $15,000, about 1/3 of the average cost of similar programs using big name developers and government grants. They want the city to choose them for redevelopment projects instead of bringing in "carpetbaggers" who only pledge a small portion as "affordable units." T.E.A.M. rehab jobs are entirely affordable, and accomplished room by room to keep payments minimal. A member of T.E.A.M. warns that the time and energy his group has put into rehab work entitles them to not cooperate with out-of-town developers in keeping drugs and crime at bay in the neighborhood:"You put $100,000 in those places, you're gonna lose it all and get run out. You're not coming into this community. We'll just pull our hands back. The drug boys come here looking for work, we'll say [theres] no work. Any minute you'll see crack hidden behind the steps."
Thanks to Ted Leimbach
Read the full story: T.E.A.M. Players: A Grass-Roots Group Wants in on a City Redevelopment Deal in Upton, But Only on Its Own Terms
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.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello