A new film centers on the efforts of one determined inner-city resident to confront the architect who designed the low-income housing project she lives in with her family.
"An urban drama about liberal complacency meeting its match, The Architect places [actress Viola] Davis front and center as Tonya Neeley, a community activist on Chicago's South Side who's trying to gather enough signatures to get her ratty housing project torn down and rebuilt. Degraded by poverty, unemployment, and social collapse, the locals range from indifferent to hostile, while drug-dealing gangbangers who treat the neighborhood as their corporate headquarters menace Tonya with direct threats. Desperate for help, she shows up in the college classroom of Leo Waters (the excellent Anthony LaPaglia), the distinguished architect who designed the projects back in the idealistic '60s, and asks him to sign her petition."
FULL STORY: Middle-class malaise meets inner-city despair in The Architect
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
A Historic Investment in LA County’s Parks and Open Spaces
Los Angeles County has launched its largest-ever competitive grant program, investing $58 million to expand park access, enhance climate resilience, and support community-driven projects in the areas that need them most.
San Diego Wins $14M for Affordable Housing
The funding comes via the state’s Regional Early Action Planning program and will help create close to 1,000 new housing units.
Albuquerque Remains Committed to Free Transit
Ridership on the city’s transit system has gone up by 20 percent since they eliminated bus fares in 2022.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Portland
City of Laramie