Architects and builders are rushing to design and build new simple but cozy homes for storm victims living in FEMA trailers.
A new industry of home building has sprung up to cater to the tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents still living in trailers 10 months after Hurricane Katrina. Billed as quick and inexpensive to build, but storm ready and with more charm than a mobile home, the new "Katrina Cottages" is set to change face of the region, and simultaneously create a new design for quality affordable housing that can be applied elsewhere.
"The first "Katrina Cottage," designed by New York architect Marianne Cusato, made a splash when a prototype debuted in January at a trade show in Florida. Six months later, Cusato is in talks with Lowe's to design and manufacture a "kit" for that will provide the materials for builders to assemble a Katrina cottage on site."
FULL STORY: Katrina spawns cottage industry

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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