Thousands of Katrina survivors scattered throughout the country may be about to lose their homes due to changes in FEMA funding.
"[FEMA] is shifting some 55,000 people from federally funded housing-voucher programs run by municipal and local housing authorities across the country, into a separate centralized and more restricted program. As a result, about 12,000 households have already been notified that they will lose their rental assistance. The policy shift is generating fears that many more could lose their benefits or see them drastically reduced under the new program.
Last Friday, a coalition of public-interest legal and advocacy organizations filed a class-action lawsuit in a Houston federal district court to halt FEMA's plans for terminating the city-based shelter program. Bringing claims of various inadequacies in its assistance programs, the suit accused FEMA of making 'arbitrary, inconsistent and inequitable housing decisions without using any ascertainable standards.'
John Brittain, with the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the groups involved with the litigation, articulated the concern driving the legal action. He said the rollback in housing assistance shows that 'FEMA intends to pretty much wash its hands of Katrina disaster relief, at least in terms of temporary housing assistance, and will expect people to be on their own.'"
FULL STORY: Policy Change Threatens to Re-Displace Katrina Survivors

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.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

San Francisco Muni Raises Fares a Second Time
A 10–cent fare hike for adults is part of the agency’s plan to chip away at a growing budget deficit.

Electric Grid Capacity Could Hamstring EV Growth
Industry leaders say the U.S. electric grid is unprepared for the increased demand for power created by electric cars, data centers, and electric homes.

Texas Bill Supports Adaptive Reuse in Commercial Areas
Senate Bill 840, which was preliminarily approved by the state House, would allow residential construction in areas previously zoned for offices and commercial uses.
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 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